Dubai: Lucky Dubai Metro commuters will walk away with gold bars, electronic gadgets, gold Nol cards and much more as part of the annual Public Transport Day celebrations, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced yesterday.

The Public Transport Day is marked annually on November 1 and activities to mark the day will start from October 20.

Apart from daily draws for prizes, most frequent commuters will walk away with mega prizes, including a 100gm gold bar.

Commuters will be divided according to the number of trips they have made this year, which will identified through their Nol cards.

Points will be allotted to trips, with each trip garnering 50 points. The first prize winner, a commuter with more than 1,000 points, will walk away with a 100gm gold bar.

The runner-up, 750 points or more, will be rewarded with a Mac computer. The third position will go to the commuter with 500 points or more. He will get an Apple Watch.

The fourth prize winner with 350 points or more will get a headphone, and the fifth winner, with 250 points or more, will get a Gold Nol Card.

The RTA will also conduct a daily draw for two gold bars, each weighing 50gm at the Metro stations from October 20 to November 1.

Dr Yousuf Al Ali, CEO of RTA’s Public Transport Agency and Head of Public Transport Day Committee, said: “This year, we are keen to ensure that the events of Public Transport Day are unique and exciting. Prizes will be given to 50 winners, with 10 winners selected in each prize category. Winners will be selected from the most frequent users of RTA’s public transport means who will be identified through Nol cards.”

A series of activities will take place across various Metro stations, which are aimed at encouraging more people to use public transport.

“This year’s edition will be totally different, and for the first time the RTA is inviting government entities to nominate team representatives to take part in a contest about a specific route involving all means of public transport,” said Al Ali.

The contest will see questions thrown to participating teams who will be engaged in a variety of events en route until arrival at the final destination. This contest will be run by the Dubai Sports Council

The winning team will walk away with a cash prize of Dh20,000, followed by Dh10,000 to the runner-up, and Dh7,000 to the second runner-up.

Winners will be honoured in a ceremony on November 1 at Burj Island Downtown, Dubai.

Other events and contests include a variety of outdoor sports games at Burj Island, and a Healthy Food Festival where participants will be given symbolic awards.

A free medical check-up will be offered to the public at three Metro stations — Dubai Healthcare City, Airport Terminal 3, and Union. A blood donation camp will also be held at Al Ghubaiba station.

“To qualify for prizes and participate in Public Transport Day events, commuters will have to personalise their gold and silver Nol cards by registering their card numbers via the Public Transport app on smartphones, or use their personalised Blue Nol Cards in order to qualify for winning various prizes during daily draws,” Al Ali added.

The Public Transport Week events will include a diverse week-long programmes and events including a variety of sporting events. Interested participants are required to register their names online (http://rta.duplays.com).

Events will be held at Al Ghubaiba bus station on November 1 from 9am to 6pm.

Lucky commuters can also take part in the Hidden Envelopes contest, by looking for one of 30 envelopes that will concealed on various public transport means.

A selfie contest will also be held to allow commuters to take selfies aboard public transport and post them on social media with the hashtag of the event (#PTD2015). The winner will be contacted to collect the prize instantly.

Winners will get fantastic prizes such as GoPro Cameras, Beats Headphones, smart wristwatches (Fitbits), and self-balancing scooters. The public will be briefed about the locations of these envelopes on board the public transport means through RTA’s accounts on social media channels.