Authority launches new bus routes to ease congestion

Dubai: Four new bus routes have been launched in Dubai as part of the plan to increase the availability of public transport in the emirate.

Eisa Abdul Rahman Al Dossary, Chief Executive Officer of the Public Transport Agency at the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), said the RTA is continuously working on plans to expand and upgrade the public transport network to cope with urban expansion and demographic growth in Dubai.

"New public bus routes are part of the strategic initiatives and the aim is to convince all segments of the community to use mass transit systems for their daily travel, because this will help ease traffic flow and reduce pollution due to increasing use of private vehicles," he said.

Fleet

The RTA currently operates 1,540 buses, which carry around 325,000 passengers per day on 119 routes. One of the new routes, 22, runs from between Deira Bus Station and Al Nahdah 1.

Route 47 links Al Rashidiya Bus Station with Jumeirah Beach Park; buses on Route 53 carry passengers between Deria Gold Souq Station and International City, while Route 88 connects Deira City Centre Bus Station with Dubai Media City.

Seven buses have been deployed on Route 22, 10 buses run on Route 47, nine buses are used on Route 53 and 12 buses have been deployed on Route 88.

The waiting time between buses on this route is 20 minutes.

Improvements

Bus services have also been upgraded on several other routes, including the overnight service on Route N4 from Al Rashidiya Metro Station to Nakheel Harbour and Tower Metro Station.

The number of buses has been increased to seven, with a 20-minute waiting time.

The service interval has improved on Route C1 to six minutes during peak hours as the number of buses on this route has been increased to 32.