Dubai: You can now use your Nol card to pay for the water bus at all of Dubai Marina’s four stations, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced on Friday.
Nol cards will now work from the Marina Promenade, Marina Walk, Marina Mall and Marina Terrace stations around the upscale district.
Until now, Nol cards could only be used to pay for water buses at Dubai Creek. Soaring demand for water buses at the Marina led the RTA to enable the use of Nol cards there, according to Mansour Al Falasi, the RTA’s marine transport director.
Between January to August this year, 348,658 people travelled on water buses, he added.
Water buses operate every 20 minutes, from 10am to 11pm, from Saturdays to Thursdays, and from 12 noon to 12 midnight on Fridays and public holidays.
Passengers can swipe their Nol cards on the card reader on board, and swipe it again upon arriving at their final destination.
Passengers have to make sure that a balance of at least Dh11 is available on the Nol card.
Each water bus has a capacity of 36 commuters with spaces designated for passengers with disabilities.
The buses are fitted with lifejackets, a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit besides providing an air-conditioned interior and a dual-base low-wash structure.
Apart from taxis, Nol cards used can be used to pay for all public transport in Dubai: the Metro, tram, buses, and water buses, and RTA-designated parking spaces.
The cards are available as either single-use tickets, day passes or permanent cards, which can be topped up online, or at tram and Metro stations, or at RTA centres.
