Dubai: Residents of Jumeirah Village and adjoining communities will have to wait until next year for public bus services to commence as the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) reviews the public transport master plan, Gulf News can confirm.
The RTA has decided to study the feasibility of bus services to Jumeirah Village as well as Jumeirah Village Circle and Triangle, following several complaints by residents of these neighbourhoods.
The lack of public transport to and from Jumeirah Village forces the community to rely on alternatives that are often not viable, according to residents.
The recently developed community, several parts of which are yet to open, features a mix of townhouses and apartment buildings. However, according to residents, the area has a population of at least 10,000.
“I have been living in the Jumeirah Village Circle for four years. The community has grown over the years and now we have a lot of families and couples living here. I have been hoping to find a bus since the beginning but so far there hasn’t been any,” said Ronelio, a Filipino bartender.
He added that his employer provides a shuttle service to and from work but going out shopping or on any other personal errand is almost impossible.
“The only option we have is to take a taxi but that is also not easily available,” he added.
Another resident, Ravi Pal, who is a technician, said the nearest Metro station is Mall of the Emirates and to reach the station by taxi costs Dh30.
“There is no way anyone can afford Dh80 to Dh90 on transport daily, at least not a small-income earner like me. I’m living here in company accommodation for the last three years and I hardly get to meet any of my friends or relatives because nobody wants to come as it is too expensive, neither can I afford to go,” said Pal, who is from India.
There are many like Pal who are not only waiting for a public bus service to begin from the area, but have constantly reminded RTA to launch services to the area.
“What we need is at least a feeder service to the nearest Metro station every hour. I think this will solve a lot of problems that people are facing currently,” said Emilie Henderson, a resident of Jumeirah Village.
Interestingly, there are more than a dozen bus stops with RTA signposts spread across the sprawling community, but strangely there are no buses.
“These bus stops have been there for a long time and they only serve as a rude reminder of what we are so dearly missing,” Henderson said.
Responding to the queries, a senior RTA official told Gulf News that the Public Transport Agency under the RTA is consistently reviewing the bus services within the emirate of Dubai.
“The expansion plan of the bus services is carefully evaluated according to the guidelines for developing the public bus network. The feedback of the customers is carefully reviewed and will be taken into account in the next network updates,” said Eisa Al Hashemi, Director of Planning and Business Development at RTA’s Public Transport Agency.
He added that the study of both Jumeirah Village and Jumeirah (Circle and Triangle) developments will be conducted this year and arrangements will be made for the introduction of appropriate services next year.
Apart from the lack of public transport services, residents have also raised the issue of insufficient entries and exits into the community.
“There are only two entry and exit roads for the community and both are on the Al Khail Road. An ambulance from Saudi German Hospital takes 12 to 15 minutes to reach the community and the hospital authorities say that if they had access from Hessa Street or Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road, the response time could be reduced significantly,” said a resident on condition of anonymity.
He added that motorists coming by Shaikh Zayed Road or Al Khail Road need to travel an additional six to eight kilometres to enter the community, which is particularly stressful in emergencies.
