Abu Dhabi bus services back to normal from first day of Eid, DOT says

Abu Dhabi: Buses in the capital will return to their regular schedules from the first day of Eid, a senior transport representative told Gulf News on Wednesday.

Ramadan schedules for the routes would only be followed till the end of the Islamic month, Saeed Mohammad Al Hameli, general manager for buses at the Department of Transport, said.

"This means that buses on all routes, both inter-city and suburban, will revert to their pre-Ramadan frequencies and start timings from the first day of Eid," Al Hameli said.

The Department of Transport operates 12 inter-city and 15 suburban routes in Abu Dhabi.

Peak times

During their normal timetable, buses on most inter-city routes are available every 20 minutes during peak hours, while buses on suburban routes serve stops every 30 to 60 minutes.

Since the first day of Ramadan however, all 27 bus routes have had lower frequencies of 40 minutes during peak hours, and have included an iftar break in their timetables.

The news that timings would change at Eid was greeted with cheer by residents, Tanjeena Zaman, 17, a university student from Bangladesh, said because taxis were harder to find on Eid, the change back to pre-Ramadan timetables was very welcome.

Filipino engineer Eduardo Madrona, 49, said: "I stopped using the buses in Ramadan because I had to wait for a very long time in the heat".