Dubai-Abu Dhabi bus service all set to roll

An announcement to this effect was made by officials from civic bodies of both cities at a Press conference in Dubai yesterday.

A total of 15 buses, eight from Dubai and seven from Abu Dhabi, will ply between the two cities in the initial phase of the service, officials said.

Abdul Aziz Malik, Director of the Public Transport Department of Dubai Municipality, told Khaleej Times that the new service to Abu Dhabi is part of the civic body's plans to connect Dubai with all emirates in the country through a public transport bus service.

“We are discussing the issue with our counterparts in other emirates and the service will be started between Dubai and other emirates in the near future,” he said.

A bus service between Dubai and Sharjah is also being discussed and is considered by authorities here as a priority, Malik said in reply to a question.

The new service to Abu Dhabi, described as an efficient solution to the growing traffic woes of the emirate, will start from the main bus station in Abu Dhabi and ply through the Shaikh Rashid Road and Shaikh Zayed Road, pass through Umm Al Nar, Al Shahama and Al Samha stations, the Dubai World Trade Centre intersection and halt at Al Ghubaiba Bus Station in Dubai. On its return journey, the service will take the same route to the capital city, and passengers will have the choice of either getting down on any of the stations (within Dubai) or go direct to Abu Dhabi.

According to Abdul Aziz Malik, Director of the Public Transport Department of Dubai Municipality, the coaches will take two hours to run the 150km-long route, and a service frequency of one bus every 45 minutes will be maintained initially. The service will be operated from 6.30am (first bus from station) to 9.30pm (last bus from station), and the ticket rate has been put at Dh15 per passenger.

The service will enjoy an estimated ridership of 30 per cent in its initial phase and is likely to rise in the future, when the civic bodies would increase the number of buses and their frequency, he revealed.

Giving details of the service, Malik explained that since the ticketing system in buses in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are different, the facility of e-Go prepaid card will not be available on the buses initially.

Commenting on the problem of an increasingly-tardy bus schedule in Dubai, Malik cited the example of route 3, the demand for which increases despite the department adding two buses every year, and clarified that there is immense pressure on the bus drivers but the worsening traffic situation was the main reason behind delayed buses.

In reply to a query, he said that route coverage for certain areas, prominently among them the Knowledge Village, is top priority for the department and will soon be solved.

Dubai right now has a fleet of 398 operational buses, and 60 more will join it by the end of this year.

SPECIAL NEEDS

THE Public Transport Department of Dubai Municipality is discussing with certain private establishments the issue of special arrangements for physically-challenged commuters on board its buses.

“There are private groups that have their own transport arrangements for people with special needs, and we have opened a discussion with them on how best to incorporate the facility not just on the inter-emirate Emirates Express but also with our internal public transport buses,” Malik said in reply to a Khaleej Times question.

TWO-WAY DEAL

THE new service is the fruit of co-operation between the two municipalities, said Obeid Slem Al Shamsi, Assistant Director-General for Administrative and General Services Affairs.

“Both bodies contributed towards it by providing all the requirements for the service including manpower, air-conditioned luxury coaches and complete amenities for operating the service as the official at both the municipalities were keen to provide a safe, economic, comfortable and eco-friendly means of transport between different emirates of the country,” he added.