UAE | Traffic and Transport
UAE's well-being 'depends on travel'
Contrary to common opinion, the UAE's well-being depends on the business sector and travel much more than it does on oil reserves, said Piyush Mathur, ACNielsen's GCC managing director.
- By Daniel Bardsley, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 February 14, 2006
Dubai: Contrary to common opinion, the UAE's well-being depends on the business sector and travel much more than it does on oil reserves, said Piyush Mathur, ACNielsen's GCC managing director.
"People here are just as concerned about the influence of fuel prices on the economy and the cost of living as they are elsewhere in the world.
"Having a car is a must in the UAE, especially in the summer. Also, individual entrepreneurs who own boats and scooters for rent, or those engaged in road transportation, are directly affected," Mathur said.
In August last year, the price of a gallon of petrol went up by Dh1.5 to Dh6.25 or Dh6.75, while the cost of a diesel gallon increased by Dh1.4 to Dh7.70.
Nearly one third of UAE respondents (31 per cent) have made combined trips that covered several errands in one go in order to reduce their fuel costs. This compares to the global average of 40 per cent who do this.
Just seven per cent in the UAE share a car with relatives or friends or go on trips together, far lower than in many other countries that were also surveyed, such as Thailand (23 per cent), Malaysia (17 per cent) and Finland (19 per cent).
Only four per cent of UAE residents said they were using public transport more, well down on the global average of 24 per cent.
Worldwide, ACNielsen took the views of 23,500 people in 42 countries for its Online Consumer Confidence Survey.
The price rises brought in last year followed oil cost increases and were introduced to offset losses at distributors.
Few takers for public transport
Just as UAE car users showed little enthusiasm for moving over to public transport, they were also downbeat about other transport options, with almost none saying they might give up their car for a motorcycle, a scooter or a bicycle, a study by ACNielsen said.
No UAE respondents said they would think of giving up their vehicle altogether, compared to as many as 13 per cent of respondents in some other countries.
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