Dubai: Dubai’s public buses have seen almost one million more riders in the first quarter of this year, up 2.5 per cent over the year before.
In the first quarter of this year, the emirate’s buses saw 38,616,365 riders, up from 37,654,468 the same time last year.
This increase shows “the growing culture of using public transport”, said Basel Ebrahim, an official at the emirate’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
“It is also attributable to the facilities associated with these transit modes such as stations and air-conditioned bus shelters across Dubai, including 100 smart air-conditioned shelters.”
Getting more people to ride the bus is part of the RTA’s goal to make 30 per cent of all rides across Dubai be by public transport by 2030.
In 2006, just six per cent of journeys in the emirate were made on buses — a figure which climbed to 15 per cent by 2015, officials say.
“Public transport modes are the optimal means to ensure sustained transportation considering the massive number of vehicles on roads and the harmful gas emissions generated,” said Ebrahim.
“The public are therefore invited to use mass transit means to conserve the environment and maintain the public health standards,” he added.
