UAE | Traffic and Transport

A long and weary bus ride

Travelling in public buses in Dubai is an excellent option only if you want to save money and if you are a tourist with plenty of time to waste.

  • By Ashfaq Ahmed, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 23:29 January 12, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • Image Credit: Illustrations: Luis Vazquez/Gulf News
  • The ride which started from Al Qusais Industrial Area bus stop at 7.30am to Safa Park took three hours though Abu Bakr Siddiqui Road (8.45am), and a bus change at Al Ghubaiba Bus station and through Dhiyafa Road (10.15 am).
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Dubai: Travelling in public buses in Dubai is an excellent option only if you want to save money and if you are a tourist with plenty of time to waste.

It is certainly not a good option for those who have to reach their offices on time everyday because buses never reach on scheduled time - firstly and mainly because of traffic congestion during peak morning and evening hours, and secondly, due to unnecessarily long routes.

Forget about taking bus every three minutes as is claimed by the Public Transport Agency of the Roads and Transport Authority. It is a long way to go.

Nightmare

I tried different bus routes at different times of the day to gauge the bus service currently available for commuters in Dubai. It was a nightmare when it comes to catching bus but it was fun as an observer.

I started with route No 3 from Al Qusais at 7am, with the aim to reach Gulf News office on Shaikh Zayed Road at 9am.

Eventually I realised it was a far-fetched dream. The bus stop was crowded and I had to wait for at least 30 minutes for the bus. But what is this? People have started pushing each other to get into the bus.

The driver took a good seven minutes to accommodate around 15 people and then shut the door leaving at least 10 more passengers mostly females behind because there were no seats available.

Journey starts at 7.35am. Bus got stuck in traffic as it starts on Damascus Road. Passengers were frustrated and started usual bickering about traffic mess and long bus routes. It took the bus at least two hours and 15 minutes to cover the 55-minute scheduled journey to reach Al Ghubaiba bus terminal. It was already 9.45am and I am already 45 minutes late.

It was not a pleasant scene at Al Ghubaiba as well because it took me a good 20 minutes to find out which bus I should take to reach Gulf News office. It was 9E but I had missed it. I decided to take any bus going towards Al Safa Road and boarded bus number 12 at 10am and got off at Safa Park around 10.30am as traffic was a bit thin by that time.

Now what, since there was no connection to reach office which is a good 2km walk from the bus stop and it took me a 20-minute walk to reach office at 10.50am. I was late by one hour and 50 minutes and it took me some 3 hours and 50 minutes to reach office and to cover the distance which normally takes not more than one hour in a car during morning peak hours.

After having tea and a little rest, I took off again. I waited for a bus near Gulf News for about 30 minutes, it never came. Again I walked to Safa Park and took bus 93 to Satwa bus station. It was a rather quick journey and it took my just 14 minutes to reach Satwa as traffic was normal during off peak hours.

Now I decided to take a bus route map. I started asking different people about the information kiosk. There was none. One driver told me to go to an office with tinted glass. I walked in and found an employee talking over the phone. He was not bothered at all. I looked around and saw some route maps in the corner of the room. I picked up one but you have to be a Columbus to decipher the route map.

It was available only in English while most of the people I found using the bus were workers who usually cannot read English.

This time, I wanted to reach Fish Roundabout in Deira from Satwa. I took C1 - a new long bus recently added to the public bus fleet. Did I mention that Al Ghubaiba and Satwa bus stations were filthy enough to make you hold your breath?

The bus started on a long, winding route and I decided to get off at Khalid Bin Waleed Road and went back to Al Ghubaiba.

It was around 4.28pm that I took bus No. 3 for Deira. It got stuck in traffic as it reached Mussallah Tower and it took around one hour to reach Clock Tower.

Mohammad Faisal, a Pakistani, who looked quite depressed, said he had to take a day off and lost one day's salary just to go to the doctor. "I took me about three hours to reach doctor in Bur Dubai from Al Quoz," he said. Passengers were frustrated and one of them even tried to open windows for fresh air.

A private bus full of construction workers pulled in parallel to the public bus. Then I saw a scene which we do not see here everyday. The labourers started making obscene gestures at female passengers to the embarrassment of all in the bus.

The driver also noticed this but did not bother. "It is a routine here. Some people even do it from the roadside," one of the female passengers said. I got off the bus near Clock Tower cursing myself for doing nothing to stop harassment.

I started another wait at the bus stop which was full of accommodation notices. It was fun reading them. "A bed space available for a non-smoking, non-drinking Filipino couple," read a notice pasted on the bus stop bench. A Filipina passenger said: "I used to pool a car ride but the car driver started harassing me. I am left with no option but to get a driving licence."

Travelling from Murraqqabat to Al Ghubaiba turned to be the most difficult. Evening peak hours had started and the bus stops were full of people, mainly Filipinos. I managed to get into the bus and it took me a good one and half hour to reach Al Ghubaiba, which is just 20 minutes in the car. Another Filipino said: "I will apply for a driving licence because it is such a waste of time." Bus service can only be an alternative to cars if buses have dedicated lanes and run on schedule.

Thank God, I have a car.

On roads: Tough decision

Advantages

  • Save money
  • Can sleep
  • Can read
  • Avoid hassle of driving
  • Make new friends

Disadvantages

  • Waste of time
  • Difficult to find route
  • Crowded
  • Long waiting hours
  • Noisy journey
  • Lack of information

Your comments

Life is not perfect. There are pros and cons in everything. It is simple, if you have the money, you get the benefits. The same rule applies here. Besides, I believe the RTA is working on the shortcomings as I can see a lot of new buses plying and roads getting wider. Thus, there is no point cribbing.
From Saad
Dubai
UAE
Posted: January 13, 2008, 09:50

In Dubai, you only have two choices when it comes to commuting. One, save time and the other, save money. Both cannot happen together. If you need to be on time, taking a car would be the choice. And if it is time you can spend, then the best option would be a bus. But either way, you tend to lose one. The choice is yours, time or money.
Bijoy
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 13, 2008, 09:39

There are only three seats for ladies on either side. Seats for ladies should be increased and new buses should be introduced exclusively for their travel.
Usha
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 13, 2008, 09:29

Sometimes, drivers will not let lady passengers get in even if there are other seats available, get irritated if you ask them about any other bus route. And even when there is place in the bus, they will not stop at the bus stops. Elderly people like me find it very difficult to stand at the bus stops for hours. Sometimes, buses don't even stop if you don't wave at them.
Shamshad
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 13, 2008, 09:17

The public transport is harassing the public by not standardising the behaviour of the drivers and not keeping to the schedule. I have noticed passengers being manhandled and insulted by the drivers so many times. Most of the drivers do not show any respect towards the passengers, and when we turn to the RTA authorities to complain, we end up cursing ourselves for not having a driving license or our own car. The funniest part is, the RTA is ISO-certified and people have simply lost faith in that certification too. And the RTA claims to be one of the most customer-friendly services in Dubai!
Manoj
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 13, 2008, 09:13

I tried using the bus service here to get to work. The service, the drivers, the passengers pushing each other to take the bus and the bus-station staff itself can be called savage at best.
Shezanne
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 13, 2008, 07:57

No matter what newspapers publish or people say, nothing is going to help the situation. The RTA officials should try to commute from their homes to their offices by public transport, and experience what the common man does everyday.
Rijosh
Pune,India
Posted: January 13, 2008, 07:52

The RTA is on a Salik-installation spree. Install it, there is no harm, but only after ensuring there is an efficient and sufficient mass transport system. Officials, wake up.
Rijosh
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 13, 2008, 07:49

The RTA wants to stop private-car lifts but have no real solution for the public. I can only see the RTA trying to make the lives of the people miserable and concerned only about how much revenue is generated. We are better off without the RTA.
Evon
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: January 13, 2008, 07:44

The RTA buses are slightly big compared to the Dubai roads. The RTA should also consider employing ticket issuers in buses so that the driver can concentrate on the driving.
Shyam
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 13, 2008, 07:26

Travelling by bus is like abusing oneself. One has to wait for 40 to 90 minutes for a bus and then, when the bus arrives, the driver will not let you in. I have even seen a lot of people begging the driver with folded hands to make them open the door. But it is of no use. They have to wait for the next bus, and if even that is full, the next.
Mohammad
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 13, 2008, 07:19

Life in Dubai is very difficult nowadays, especially for workers who have no choice but to take a bus to work everyday. Imagine waiting at the bus stop for 30 minutes and then realising when the bus comes that there will be no place for you in that. And if you are fortunate enough o get one, the next problem will be the traffic and the long bus routes. One has at least three hours of their time wasted before work on the roads. One gets tired not only by work but also by the inconveniences faced on the road. I hope the government does something about this.
Jeannie
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 13, 2008, 07:15

Three minutes between buses? Even European countries which have efficient and developed public transport systems can't boast of such a frequency. I would call this claim another PR move to create an illusion about Dubai. Also, one would be highly mistaken to think that the government cares about regular bus users. Their target is only Western tourists. Hence, even the road maps are in English. The government of Dubai probably has the best PR managers money can buy.
Steven
San Francisco,USA
Posted: January 13, 2008, 07:00

The RTA buses are never on time and cancel their trips without informing anyone. I have seen bus drivers slow down on purpose and stop at bus stops which don't even have any passengers waiting. Their attitude towards passengers is also very rude.
S.N.
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 13, 2008, 04:47

Public transport is the least convenient option in Dubai. Had there been a road track dedicated to buses, it would have helped manage traffic and even reduce accidents. The government should reduce bus fares for mothers and children. It should also categorise buses into different classes such as luxury and economy, so that women can take the luxury buses to avoid harassment as mentioned in the article, even if they have to pay a higher fare. Buses only for women is also a good idea. There should be better customer service, a toll-free number to check bus timings and better quality of the bus stations.
Rita
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 13, 2008, 01:28

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