Dubai: More than 108 million passengers used Dubai’s public buses in 2012, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced yesterday.
The public bus service now covers more than 85 per cent of Dubai’s urban areas, over 88 routes and 10 intercity routes, Ahmad Mohammad Al Hammadi, Acting CEO of the Public Transport Agency, said in a statement.
Use of public buses in Dubai as well as between Dubai and Sharjah has witnessed a steady increase, he said.
Al Hammadi attributed the increase in commuters to the high quality of services offered, in addition to punctuality and adherence to the set schedules by buses. Dedicated bus lanes also make bus trips smooth and speedy, he said.
The number of passengers transported to Sharjah from Sabkha, Union Square, Ghubaiba, Deira City Centre, Satwa, and Karama stations crossed over 6,988,000 passengers.
“These stations are integrated with the adjacent Metro stations or Metro stations’ feeder bus services, in addition to the Green Line station at Ghubaiba bus station together with marine transit station.”
“Reasons that prompt the public to use public buses is the quality of buses provided by the RTA which are characterised by high-tech technologies in terms of durability, security, and the highest degree of comfort, besides the low-floor design suiting people with special needs, in addition to dedicated seats for women, integration with other public transport modes such as the Metro, water bus and water taxi tariff,” Al Hammadi said. Easy fare payment through various Nol cards, accurate timetables, which passengers can inquire about via various ways including SMS are other advantages.
Public bus routes in the emirate of Dubai are divided into four types, namely, routes transporting passengers to the Central Business District, express routes, urban routes, and Metro stations’ feeder routes via four types of buses, namely, standard, articulated, double-decker buses, in addition to deluxe coaches shuttling between Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Fujairah.
