Be aware: Dubai Metro coming to ease traffic bottlenecks

Dubai: Tens of thousands of bottles of water are being given out as part of a tie-up between Gulf News and Dubai Metro.

The promotion, which begins today, aims to spread awareness about Dubai Metro as officials say many people are not yet familiar with the ground-breaking scheme.

Promoters are giving out water bottles and chocolate dates to attract people to information stands in malls close to four planned Dubai Metro stations - City Centre, BurJuman, Union Square and Al Rigga.

During the promotion, which is running in October, November and December, brochures showing what the state-of-the-art metro will look like when completed are also being handed out.

The information stands include touch screens that let passers-by visit the Dubai Metro website.

Fiona D'Cunha, a spokes-woman for the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said many people in Dubai were not yet familiar with the Dubai Metro project. "Though everybody knows that the construction of the metro has started, to most people it is something abstract. They have to learn that the Dubai Metro is a vital service being built for their benefit.

"We have planned a comprehensive campaign to reach the target audience -and a large number of the target audience can be reached in malls and be informed.

"At the information stands visitors can surf through the work station there and experience the new Dubai Metro image website," she said.

During Ramadan, the promotion is taking place in the evening after iftar, but in November and December it will run during the day as well. In total, more than 30,000 bottles of water are set to be given to passers-by by the promoters - who can easily be spotted by their branded t-shirt and caps - before the end of the year.

Later on, the promotion will move onto other locations in Dubai to help ensure that maximum number of people learn about the pioneering scheme, which is set to offer a major improvement over travel on Dubai's gridlocked roads. A string of exciting new campaign are scheduled after the water promotion is completed, including laser shows - thought to be the first of their kind in Dubai.

The marketing campaign will also involve newspaper, television and radio advertisements.

In addition, hoardings in the areas where Dubai Metro is being constructed will help to highlight the project.