Leave your cars, use public transport

Dubai: Thousands of residents were expected to choose public transportation on Tuesday as the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) celebrates Public Transport Day.

As the RTA marks its sixth anniversary this year by observing Public Transport Day on Tuesday for the second consecutive year, RTA officials have urged the public to join hands and embrace means of public transport.

With free rides offered on Tuesday on Dubai Metro, buses and water buses for Nol card users, RTA anticipates a 30 per cent jump in the number of commuters on Tuesday, Hussain Mohammad Al Banna, Director of Traffic Department at the RTA, told Gulf News on Monday.

"Several family-oriented events have been organised for November 1 under the theme — together we move. Our focus is on increasing the number of youths using public transport," Al Banna said.

Dedicated bus and taxi lanes on Naif and Al Ittihad roads also opened to traffic on Tuesday. In addition, a complimentary credit of Dh100 will be added to 50 customers who use public transport most frequently.

While RTA held road shows to six prominent universities and a number of schools helped garner support for the day, the awareness on public transport was seen to be low among students, Al Banna said, adding that the road shows helped in reaching out to them.

Praise from commuters

Speaking to Gulf News at the Rashidiya Metro station on Tuesday morning, Muneeba Abdullah, a commuter, said that the initiative is very successful in attracting more passengers.

“I use the metro often like when I go shopping. But I know a lot of people who just believe it is inconvenient because they have never tried it,” Abdullah said.

People should try it out at least once before making a judgment, she said, adding that she has found it to be very hassle-free.

Another regular commuter, Liz Alido said that she hopes the seven emirates will be connected by the metro in future. Her daughter and a group her friends are planning for a journey later in the evening to show their support, she said.

‘Humble beginnings'

"Choosing public transport is environmentally friendly, helps reduce congestion and boosts the economy," Al Banna stressed. From humble beginnings, public transport in Dubai has evolved much over the past four decades, with nearly a million people now using them everyday, he added.

The first bus service began in 1968, with four mini buses travelling two routes. Today, the city's public transport system comprises of not only buses, different types of taxis and various water transport modes such as abras, water taxis, water buses and ferries, but also boasts the world's longest fully automated rail transport system — the Dubai Metro.

The fleet of buses grew from 301 buses in 2001 to 1,421 buses in 2010 and the number of passengers hit 113 million. The Dubai Metro passengers rose from 6,890,089 in 2009 to 38,914,963 in 2010. This year, the number is expected to reach 60,000,000.

Back in 2006, when RTA was set up, 6 per cent of the city's residents used public transport (excluding cab users). This year, the number of users has reached 9.5 per cent. The RTA aims to raise the number of users to 30 per cent by 2030.

"This year, the total number of public transport users, including cab users, is expected to cross 350 million," Al Banna said.

Events galore

Tuesday's events will be held from 5 pm to 9 pm at the Al Gubaiba Metro station in Bur Dubai and the Union Station in Deira. Twenty-four government authorities and departments as well as private sector entities, educational institutions and various sector of the community are participating.

Local and traditional performances will be showcased at the Al Gubaiba station, in addition to a bazaar were products made by children with special needs will be sold and other activities. At the Union Station, Philippines Folklore show, sale of traditional products and mime shows will be held.