Dubai: Commuters on Dubai-Sharjah bus routes are being forced to buy Nol cards as the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has stopped issuing tickets to Sharjah-bound passengers.
However, passengers coming from Sharjah still have the option of either buying a ticket from the counter at Al Jubail stations or use the Nol card.
According to passengers, tickets for Sharjah were available until last Sunday, but on Monday RTA closed the ticket issuing counter and made using Nol card mandatory for the journey to Sharjah.
“I went to Sharjah on Sunday using the ticket but when I came today I was surprised to see the counter closed. When asked the RTA officer said I have to buy the Nol card. It’s more surprising because I came from Sharjah in the morning using the ticket,” said Ahmad Niyaz, a Pakistani resident of Sharjah.
The development is causing confusion among commuters, particularly because on some routes to Sharjah tickets are still being issued.
“I went from Al Quoz to Sharjah this morning and paid the fare at the ticket counter, though Nol cards are also accepted. While coming back from Sharjah also I paid the fare at the counter at Al Jubail bus station,” said Yousuf Mirza, an Indian who works as an electrician in Al Quoz.
RTA started linking the intercity routes with the automated payment system and since then both systems of payment have been in operation simultaneously, but those used to the old system insist the Nol card is of not of much use to them as they are not regular commuters.
“I hardly come to Dubai once a year. Nol is not of much use to me. I thought there is no harm in continuing with the old system. I came here paying the fare at the counter but when I want to go back I’m forced to buy the Nol card as there is no alternative,” said Mohammad Abduh from Egypt.
A senior RTA official said that the Public Transport Agency started the awareness campaign about the upgrade of the Nol system a couple of months ago and the linking of intercity routes to automated fare collection system offers greater convenience to commuters.
“There was a campaign a couple of months ago about the upgrade of Nol payment. We are upgrading all our intercity routes gradually.
“We started upgrading the system a couple of months ago. Just to ease people into the system, we were issuing tickets as well as the Nol cards. Now we have stopped issuing tickets to Sharjah-bound passengers and in the coming weeks we will make Nol cards mandatory both ways,” said Mohammad Yousuf Al Mudharreb, Director of Nol at RTA.
In the next two months use of Nol cards will be mandatory on all intercity routes such as Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Fujairah and Ajman, where it is only optional now.
“We are setting up all the required facilities for the people and once we are ready we will make the Nol payment system mandatory on all intercity bus routes including Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain,” he added.
The Nol Card system enables people to use various RTA transport modes in Dubai through a single card. The Nol Card can be used to travel on Dubai Metro, buses, water buses, as well as pay for RTA’s paid parking.
