Dubai: Reaching Global Village this season for those who don’t have private vehicles won’t be as costly as the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) on Saturday said it will launch two new dedicated bus routes to the park when it opens on October 5.

Visitors who previously used private taxis when going to Global Village now have an option to use public buses at Dh10 per trip per person.

Eisa Al Hashemi, acting director of Planning and Business Development at RTA’s Public Transport Agency, said Global Village visitors who wish to use RTA buses next season are required to use Nol cards.

The first route (103) will start from Union Station. Five dedicated buses will serve commuters from the station, then on to Baniyas Road, Rabat Street, Nad Al Hammar area, before driving on Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road down to Global Village on Exit 37.

The second route (104) will start from Al Ghubaiba station and will pass through the Al Jaffliya Metro station, Zabeel Street, Dubai-Al Ain Road, before passing through Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road to reach to Global Village. Five buses will be assigned on this route.

Operation of the service will start at 3.15pm till 11.15pm on October 5 with a headway of 30 minutes.

The launch of the two routes to Global Village aims to encourage visitors to use mass transportation as the park is considered one of the most important tourist and entertainment destinations in the emirate. Last season, Global Village welcomed five million visitors.

Meanwhile, Global Village has appointed a new team composed of three experienced Emirati executives to key management roles this coming 2013-2014 season. The new members are expected to bring new ideas and innovation to the management team, particularly on the operational activities, commercial operations, government relations and administration aspect.

Ahmad Hussain Bin Eisa, who previously worked for the Adnoc Group, the Engineer’s Office in Dubai and du, has been appointed Executive Director of Operations. His background has helped give him operational skills in crisis management, quality control, team leadership, and surveillance.

Fahd Al Khaja, who has more than 20 years of experience in management and governmental relations, is Global Village’s new Director of Government Relations and Administration Departments.

Ahmad Abdul Rahim Al Merri, who worked with etisalat for 15 years, takes on the role of Commercial Director.

The new appointments are in line with Global Village’s commitment to ensuring a fresh and dynamic approach to the organisation’s leadership while giving Emirati talent the chance to take on operational and management roles.