Dubai: If you live and work around the Sufouh or Oud Al Muteena area in Dubai, using the Metro will become more viable, with new feeder buses now catering to different routes in these locations.
On August 26, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced several changes to bus routes, including new Metro link buses, or feeder buses. Here’s how you can travel conveniently, on a budget, with these new updates.
What are feeder buses?
Feeder buses or Metro link buses are operating at every Metro station and help commuters reach areas around Metro stations more easily. You can identify the buses with the bus number (which starts with an F) as well as the colour, which is often blue, but at times you may also have a red bus operating on a link route.
In order to use the feeder bus, you will need to use your nol card. This trip does not cost extra as long as you are in the same zone.
The price is calculated based on how many 'zones' you have crossed. RTA has divided its public transport network into seven zones. So, you can switch from a Metro to a bus and then a tram and if you are in the same zone, it will be considered as a single trip. Just make sure the time taken to use the next mode of transport is less than 30 minutes. Any trips taken after 30 minutes, even if within the same zone, will be charged as a separate trip.
What are the new routes?
F39 and F40: These new routes will replace Route 31, providing direct connections to Etisalat Metro station from Oud Al Muteena (the neighbourhood between Mizhar and Muhaisnah 2) and Mirdif (Street 78). Both routes will operate at a frequency of 30 minutes.
F58 and F59: These routes will replace Route F56, offering buses at intervals of 30 minutes to Dubai Internet City and Dubai Knowledge Village.
Route F58 will run from Al Khail Metro Station to Dubai Internet City and back.
Route F59 will operate from Dubai Internet City Metro Station to Dubai Knowledge Village and back.
Plan ahead
Apart from these new routes, the RTA has also announced some major route adjustments and relpacements. For example, Route 21, which connects Al Quoz to the Al Ghubaiba bus station will be split in two, to make it easier for commuters to identify which bus they need to take, and the path on Route 6, between Oud Metha Metro Station and Dubai Healthcare City, will be shortened. You can read all about the changes here.
Given the major changes to popular bus routes, RTA has advised commuters to familiarise themselves with the change in schedules to plan their journeys effectively. An easy way to do that would be to use the S’hail app on your phone, if you have an Apple, Android or Huawei device. Even if you use the route on a daily basis, from August 30, it would be advisable to double check your trip on the app before leaving home.
