Dubai: Dubai public bus riders can now use new vending machines (TVMs) for tickets and ‘nol’ transport cards at several bus stations in the city, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said on Sunday.
Also installed are new smart Real-Time Information (RTPI) screens displaying updates of bus timings.
Pay by card or cash
Khalid Al Awadhi, Director of Transportation Systems, Public Transport Agency, RTA, said: “This new generation of nol card and TVMs comes with a set of novel features and installed for the first time at bus stations. They are configured to accept payment through debit and credit cards and accept NFC [contactless] payment as well as payment through Virtualised nol Cards, be it at the new machines or offices.”
He added that the devices are equipped with CCTV cameras for the security and safety of users and have a change-return feature if the banknotes received are higher than the chargeable amount.
Instant updates
“We have also completed the installation of 133 new generation of smart RTPI screens to display real-time updates of bus timings at 13 public bus stations and five bus stops. The screens will offer public bus riders instant updates on bus timings, which saves the waiting time of passengers and enables them to revise their journey plans in the event of any emergency changes or rescheduling of the services.”
The screens are powered by solar energy. The screens display the arrival time of the next bus and the following one as well, at each stop or station. RTA had also installed touch screens to serve as journey planners, display the whole public transport map, and list RTA’s smart services, said Al Awadhi.
