Plans to expand Abu Dhabi's bus service start

Abu Dhabi: By the end of this month, 59 buses will be running to boost the service on the island and to suburbs including Al Shahama, Baniyas, Khalifa City and the Abu Dhabi International Airport, it was announced on Sunday.

"Out of the 500 city buses from the German manufacturer MAN to enter service by the end of this year, 59 buses will go into service at the end of this month in the city and to suburbs," said Saeed Al Hameli, the general manager of the bus office at the Abu Dhabi Department of Transport.

He was speaking after he signed a memorandum of understanding with the UAE Red Crescent Authority to make 'Ojra' bus passes available through 25 Red Crescent kiosks spread across Abu Dhabi.

Thirty buses are to be introduced each month afterward until all 500 of the city and intercity coaches ordered from MAN and Mercedes-Benz are on the road.

Al Hameli said existing routes will be enhanced and the suburbs such as Musaffah, Baniyas and Khalifa City will benefit, as some of the buses running on the island now will be moved to those lines.

He estimated that up to 65,000 people use Abu Dhabi city buses daily, based on purchases of passes, as well as revenue from fare boxes.

"Some 9,500 monthly passes and 3,000 daily passes were sold last month and Dh52,000 collected on a daily basis through the fare boxes," Al Hameli said.

By the end of next year, more than 1,360 buses will be running on up to 150 local, regional and intercity bus routes throughout the emirate.

Aside from local services for Abu Dhabi Island, Al Ain and Al Gharbia, there will be routes linking the three regions, as well as routes linking the island to the suburbs and local routes within those suburbs.

The new routes are part of an extensive project to build a modern transportation system over the next 20 years that will also include trams and a regional rail network.

Planners envision 25 bus routes in Abu Dhabi Island, up from nine today, though that target could change depending on demand. The city's bus service to Abu Dhabi International Airport will also be expanded.

Al Ain's bus service will be reorganised, with direct links between facilities such as Tawam Hospital, Al Ain International Airport and shopping centres.

Express bus services will link Abu Dhabi and Al Ain and their suburbs, while regional bus services will provide transportation to residents of villages and towns in Al Gharbia and the eastern region.

Non-stop intercity bus services will connect bus stations of major towns and cities throughout the emirate, and smaller city bus networks will be established in some towns.

Commenting on the Ojra fare structure, which was implemented from March 1, Al Hameli said the response from the general public had exceeded the department's expectations.

Statistics

- Up to 65,000 people use Abu Dhabi city buses daily

- Out of 500 city buses to enter service by the end of this year, 59 buses will go into service at the end of this month inside the city and to suburbs

- 30 buses to be introduced each month until all 500 of the city and intercity coaches are on the roads

- 'Ojra' bus passes available through 25 Red Crescent kiosks spread across Abu Dhabi

Will this encourage you to use public transportation? Are there bus routes in your neighbourhood? Which areas would you like to see have more buses?

Aa much as all improvements are great, First of all congratulations, It is really a good news for Musaffa Industrial People, if they extend route 401 which was running before final stop ICAD good. via NPCC covering Jotun Piant company.
Babu Vendoti
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 17:35

I've been a regular bus commuter since last year. With these new developments, the more I (and the rest of the regular bus commuters) will be encouraged to use public transportation. I would like to suggest that the following should be strictly implemented: 1) That the ladies area should be strictly for ladies only. Most of the time, men are all over the area. 2) That ojra passes be sold in big supermarkets. If possible, this kiosks should sell the ojra passes from 5PM onwards and not from 1PM to 4PM because majority of commuters are still in their offices. Or, much better, the bus drivers can also sell ojra passes. For me, this is the best way. 3) That there should be more buses plying Route No. 54. I am a regular commuter of this Route because my office is located in Al Muroor. And believe me, from Saturday to Thursday, the bus is always full to the brim! Nevertheless, I am also cognizant that the MOT has been trying to address the needs of the riding-public by further improving its services. Thanks. Finally, on a lighter note, another benefit of taking the bus is the friendship(s) that has been developed among the regular bus-commuters. I, for one, benefited from that.
Tisha
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 15:56

Congratulations DOT for introducing Bus Service. I am regularly using the Bus from Office to Home although I drive as it frees me from the hassel of traffic.
Monita
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 15:46

I am a school student. The public buses in the morning are horribly crouded, as there arent many buses in abu dhabi. They should start making longer buses with more seats so that everybody could sit and relax comfortably. I couldn't go by school buses as they charge the very high fees. I request you to please take immediate effect as soon as possible.
Mohammad Zayed
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 15:39

The No.5 bus when enter to Mina Road, the first stop is only near Navy gate (after a long distance from the previous stop). There should be a stop in between near Fire Station.
Ifthikar
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 15:20

The bus service is an excellent facility introduced bt the Abudhabi athorities. However, i suggest that some unconnected streets to be well connected as well. For example it would be nice to have few buses running on Najda street connecting corniche- mina- airport road via Hamdan or Electra. This will help many people living in this street.
Suresh B. Nair
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 14:43

Compared to a year ago, the progress is phenomenal! As much as all improvements are great, please consider prioritising while expanding. My personal opinion is that the inner city buses needs run a lot more frequent to further ease up the congestion that everyone seems to be stressed about.
Sandra Black
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 14:12

First of all congratulations.It is really eases traffic Congestion, traffic jam etc. it is helpful for the expatriates who cannot afford a car/ taxi etc. It is very helpful for housewives also. We can easily catch bus and go to shopping malls very often. otherwise we have to wait for Friday. It is definitely encourage me and many of my friends to use public transportation. No bus is available from our area. i.e. Bein al jusrain area( between the two bridges).in this area if u provide one or two buses daily in the morning and evening that will be very conveinent for so many people staying in this area. Kindly consider this area and help us.thanks
Jayabhat
Umm Al Nar,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 14:09

The frequency of service (currently 20 minutes on most routes) during peak hours needs to be reviewed.
Benedict Albuquerque
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 13:20

Really great, we hope the authorities will extend the services to inside areas /routes of Al Shahama, Baniyas, Samha, Khalifa City etc. Now, the existing services are covering main roads only.
Santhosh
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 13:15

I've failed five driving test and do not wish to continue, only because of the excellent bus service provided by Abu Dhabi Transport. Hats Off! Excellent Network! ONLY ONE PROBLEM!IF POSSIBLE PLS DO NOT ALLOW MEN TO STAND NEAR THE LADIES AREA. THEY SIMPLY DON'T MOVE BACK EVEN IF THERE IS ENOUGH SPACE AT THE BACK OF THE BUS. PLS DO SOMETHING.
Kiran Karkera
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 12:35

please start more busses in abu dhabi to mussafah shabia route, as we are facing difficulties with the bus timings, now the bus comes every 40 min, its difficult for us to reach office on time
Robinson
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 12:34

Thanks for expanding Bus Service system. It will be much helpful to hundreds of workers in Mussafah Industrial area, if more buses come to this area.
Rajagopal
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 12:28

That's really great but i want to convey a message to authorities to please run these buses inside the baniyas, khalifa city as to come from these areas and get a bus from outside will be very difficult.
Anshul Gupta
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 12:03

The buses plying in Abu Dhabi currently have a capacity of 50 passengers per bus, but sometimes carry more than 70 passengers. It is a serious situation causing a lot of suffocation. The number of buses as well as the frequency needs to be increased immediately. Abu Dhabi needs at least three times the existing number of buses to make public transportation an enjoyable experience.
Raj Malhotra
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 12:00

There is no bus from mina zayed to electra street and passport road. Now people are travelling to hamdan and finding other option to reach electra. Please think about that route also.
Krishnanand K.
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 11:55

I would like to have buses through Najdah road connecting Electra road in Abu Dhabi.
Bindu
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 11:14

I hope the bus routes will pass by the 3rd Street, Khalifa City "A' where Etihad Airways Headquarters are located. It is a great help for those who do not have a car to drive. Thank you.
Joel D. Sosmena
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 10:45

Most of them are interested in using bus services and avoiding taxis but something still missing, bus services should have to start at 5.30am since most of the work starts at 7am, we cannot find any bus from Electra towards Khalidiya before 6.45am and finally its very hard to get a bus pass, for the past six days I find difficult in getting a bus pass. We are happy that our lives are safer in bus than to travel through a taxi.
Antoine
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 10:07

For sure need more routes.For example Dar Sheifa Hospital (Najda Street). In this area a lot of nurseries and schools and it is very hard to get a taxi from there. Also, road in Al Salam street is closed. Maybe route through Najda Street will be helpful.
Alexandra
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 09:22

Yes we would like to have more bus transportation for dubai/sharjah it will become easy for people to use this routes.
Nargis Sobani
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 09:09

Very good service and user-friendly. It is a good project taken by the authorities. Please request the drivers to turn off the engine when they are parking in the last point. The engine is always on and the doors of the bus are open for at least 10 minutes and it is creating pollution for people who are standing next to the bus. I reside in Khalifa area. The route I am referring is number 7
Venkat
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 09:08

There are no routes shown to the suburb area of Bai-Al Jasrine. People are face more problems getting transportation from this area.
Hamza Moorkath
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 09:01

They should have more buses operating in routes which have plenty of passengers. What happens is, it gets very crowded inside and what you see is like tons of people inside a green box. They should prohibit excessive loading of passengers as they have installed only limited seats.
Jamist
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 08:59

I'm very interrested but I think that we don't have more information concerning the bus stop and the schedule. I found only a map with all of the bus road.
Laurence Basso
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 06, 2009, 07:56