Number of people using abras rises by 2%

Dubai: There has been a two per cent jump in the number of people using the abras across Dubai Creek, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has said.

In the first six months of this year, a total of almost 12.9 million passengers were carried on the abras, up from slightly more than 12.6 million passengers during the same period last year.

The vast majority of journeys, a total of 643,574, were made by motorised abras, but there was substantial growth in the number of trips by rowing abras.

In the first six months of this year, 12,461 passengers were transported during 6,797 rowing abra trips, compared to 3,438 passengers during 2,832 rowing abra journeys during the January to June period in 2006.

Legacy

In a statement released by the RTA, Eisa Abdul Rahman Al Dossary, chief executive of the RTA's Marine Transport Agency, said the RTA was keen for people to use the rowing abras as they "adhered to the legacy of our forefathers".