Dubai: Residents living and working at Dubai Investments Park (DIP) are requesting for additional feeder bus routes to serve the area, following the opening of the DIP Metro Station on June 1.
The newly-opened metro station is located in the commercial zone of DIP, surrounded by offices, hotels, residential apartments, health centres and other facilities inside the mixed-use industrial, commercial and residential enclave. But there are other offices and establishments spread across an area of 2,300 hectares that are not served by the feeder bus connected to the metro station.
DIP is one of the seven mixed-use communities connected to the Expo 2020 Dubai site and since a substantial area of DIP is built for commercial and industrial purposes, many people commute in and out daily.
More feeder buses mean savings for commuters
Lara, a Filipino expat, who works at DIP 2, said she takes the Metro to work from Karama every day. “It’s very convenient and fast; but from the DIP metro station, I had to take a taxi because there is no feeder bus going near our office,” she told Gulf News on Friday.
Lara said more feeder bus servicing the DIP area would translate to savings for commuters. “I pay at least Dh16.50 one way for taxi and that’s about Dh82.50 per week or Dh330 a month. I could have saved that money if there was only a feeder bus that would bring me closer to our office,” noted Lara, adding: “The nearest feeder bus stop (F48) is at least a 25-minute walk from our office and it’s a struggle to walk during summer.”
DIP, which used to be an isolated place, can be easily accessed by car via Emirates Road and the Sheikh Zayed Road. There are also bus routes — F46, F47 and F48 — plying in the area. Feeder buses have 15 to 30-minute intervals during peak hours while the Metro Red Line operates from 5am until 12 midnight from Saturday to Wednesday; 5am up to 1am (the following day) on Thursdays and on Fridays, the first journey starts at 10am and the last journey is at 1am (the following day).
250,000 riders per day
According to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), DIP station can serve 13,899 riders per hour during peak times and 250,000 riders per day. The station has two boarding platforms, four bus stands, 20 taxi stands and two parking slots for people of determination. It also offers eight outlets of 315 square metres for commercial investment.
The Metro is the backbone of the public transport system in Dubai. Nearly 346 million riders used public transport means in Dubai last year, which comprised of the metro, tram, buses, marine transport (such as abra, ferry, water taxi and water bus), e-hail rides, smart rental vehicles and taxis. The Dubai Metro (Red and Green Lines) served 113.63 million riders in 2020 (74.455 million for the Red Line and 39.172 million riders for the Green Line).
270,000 residents
Initially, four stations opened on the 15km extension on the Red Line on January 1. Route 2020 started its maiden journey with the opening of Jabal Ali (transfer station on the Red Line), The Gardens, Discovery Gardens, and Al Furjan stations.
According to the RTA, Route 2020, which has an 11.8km elevated track and a 3.2km underground track, was built not only for Expo 2020 but also to serve around 270,000 residents living in the fast-growing communities along the route. There are also plans to connect Route 2020 with Al Maktoum International Airport to ensure a modern metro link between Dubai Airports.
Request from DIP residents
Residents living at DIP said the opening of the DIP metro station was a big relief. “Before, the closest metro station was in Discovery Gardens — and others would go to Ibn Battuta — but now we have our own metro station. However, not all residential areas are covered by the feeder bus and still some residents are discouraged to take the metro as they had to take short taxi ride going to the station,” noted a resident living at worker’s accommodation in DIP 2.
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Neighbouring communities
Another resident noted some people are not using the Metro yet because of the shortage in feeder buses. He added that neighbouring communities would also benefit if there are additional feeder buses in the area, as DIP is next to Jebel Ali Industrial Area and adjacent to Dubai Production City and Jumeirah Golf Estates, which also has a metro station that will open coinciding with the opening of Expo 2020 Dubai in October. “I hope the RTA would consider our request to have more feeder buses in our area,” he added.
Gulf News has reached out to RTA and is waiting for its comments.
