Sharjah: Bus frequency between Sharjah and other emirates is likely to improve following the launch of 10 more luxury buses by the Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority’s (SRTA) on Monday.
The UAE’s first smart public transport buses got rolling on Monday as the 10 luxury buses joined the SRTA’s intercity fleet.
The 48-seater luxury buses will be deployed along various intercity routes connecting all the emirates, improving the operational efficiency.
Equipped with several smart features such as adaptive cruise control and lane management system, the buses will help improve efficiency and level of safety in public transport, said Abdul Aziz Al Jarwan, Director of Public Transport at SRTA.
“This is the first time in the UAE public transport buses are equipped with such smart features like adaptive cruise control that will help avoid frontal collision through emergency alarm and braking system. The adaptive cruise control will automatically reduce speed if the driver is not maintaining enough gap between vehicles and alarm will go off to alert the driver about the vehicle in front,” said Al Jarwan, speaking about the smart features of the buses following the launch at the SRTA head office.
He added that the new buses, worth Dh1 million each, are also equipped with the lane control system that doesn’t allow the driver to change lanes without indicating.
“These features are usually available on luxury cars, but having it in public transport buses will help improve safety and reduce accidents involving buses. The lane control system will also alert the driver if there are vehicles on the other lanes, ensuring that the driver changes lane only when it is safe to do so,” added Al Jarwan.
With the addition of the 10 buses, SRTA now operates 112 buses along various urban and intercity routes carrying 20,000 passengers daily.
Among the other features of the buses are four surveillance cameras, a rear view camera as well as fire and smoke detectors.
“The features inside the bus are similar to an aircraft, with smart phone chargers, sockets to charge laptops, reading lights as well as comfortable reclining seats,” said Yousef Sulaiman Al Hammadi, Director of Purchase and Administrative services at SRTA.
The buses are equipped with eco-friendly Euro 4 engines.
