Dubai: Students and residents at Dubai Academic City will have some respite from heat as the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has planned installation of 10 air-conditioned bus shelters in the area next year.
The RTA made the announcement on Tuesday ahead of the Public Transport Day celebrations marking its 12th anniversary on Wednesday.
According to the authority, the shelters are part of Phase II of the 400 air-conditioned bus shelters project covering various areas of Dubai. Construction work is set to start early 2018.
A series of events and prizes are lined up for commuters as part of the Public Transport Day celebrations with two most frequent commuters on Dubai Metro and other modes of public transport walking away with Dh50,000 each.
The frequent commuter programme began on October 20, with commuters using all modes of public transport collecting points. The top two commuters with the highest number of points will be awarded Dh50,000 each on Wednesday.
The frequent traveller prizes along with several other fitness-related activities will mark the Public Transport Day observed annually on November 1.
To mark the annual event, the RTA has also lined up several activities compatible with the Dubai Fitness Challenge initiative launched by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council.
On Wednesday, the mass transit system will witness a public transport race, which will see several teams of commuters race through different metro, tram, public bus, and marine transport stations.
As they race through the stations, the participants will be required to perform some exercises upon arrival at each station.
The winner will be the team that collects the largest number of seals stamped on the participation application at each station and succeeds in reaching the final station.
The winning team will receive a cash prize of Dh50,000, the runner-up Dh30,000, and the second runner-up Dh15,000.
There is also a Golden Runner competition on Social media that began on October 23, culminating on Wednesday. The competition involves participants following the social networking sites to locate the Golden Runner who daily visits three RTA stations.
Winners will receive wearable prizes such as Fitbits, Apple watches and iPhone 8.
Speaking about the initiative, Mattar Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, said: “The Public Transport Day initiative has succeeded in realising its objectives. It has contributed to enhancing Dubai’s role in improving the environment, achieving sustainable development, encouraging the use of mass transit modes and raising the share of public transport by showcasing its benefits.”
