Dubai
I have been a resident of Dubai’s Al Karama area for the past 20 years. In the past year, I started using the bus service offered by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) as I moved farther away from my office and noticed some issues that I would like to bring to the attention of the authorities.
The summer can be quite hot in the UAE, as we all know, and the airconditioned bus shelters are a big help to those who use it for commuting on the public buses. But, for the past few days, I have been noticing that the bus shelter has not been kept as clean as before.
Littering is a big issue. People throw water bottles and papers on the ground instead of disposing it in the trash. There’s no bin placed in the shelter and people are too lazy and throw the waste there and leave. Some people use the shelter as a place to sit and chat with their friends.
Most of the time, the airconditioning doesn’t work. The automatic door also doesn’t close and some people are callous enough to use it and later leave it open. So, it gets very hot in the bus shelter, especially during the afternoons in the summer.
I hope the authorities look into these issues and take corrective measures. I also request them to install Nol card machines in the bus shelter located in Al Karama area, as this is a heavily-populated residential area and a lot of people use the buses from here.
There are two shelters close to the Al Karama Metro Station, which are hardly used as due to the traffic and narrow road, the bus is unable to stop there every time. If these were shifted, it would be better.
— The reader is a doctor based in Dubai.
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Editor’s note: The reader’s concerns were raised with the management of RTA. However, despite repeated reminders, they did not respond.
