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STC to introduce 130 to 160 buses on 18 routes in Sharjah

SHARJAH — The Sharjah Public Transport Corporation (STC) will soon introduce 130 to 160 buses on 18 routes in the emirate for which the corporation has invited tenders for pre-qualification from eligible UAE and international public transport firms. All buses plying within the emirate will be run on compressed natural gas (CNG).

According to a directive issued by the STC Director-General, Abdullah M. Al Zari, those interested in operating the “Sharjah City Network” in Sharjah, have been asked to submit their pre-qualification applications for the Public Transport (PT) network franchise. STC is the sole government authority regulating and controlling all public transport activities in Sharjah.

“The pre-qualification criteria aims at selecting the most viable operator with technical and financial experience and capabilities to build up and operate a modern public transport bus service in Sharjah,” says the directive. It also specifies that those who pre-qualify will be shortlisted, and selected operators will then be requested to submit official proposals in accordance with the relevant STC “Request for Proposal” (RFP) which includes the terms and conditions determining the contractual rights and obligations of the parties. Sharjah Transport plans to start its mass public transport network system by the last quarter of this year.

Speaking to Khaleej Times earlier, Al Zari had said that a technical study relating to the proposed public transport system was undertaken by expert consultants from Singapore and discussed during a workshop on UITP (International Association of Public Transport). According to experts from UITP, STC sought advice from operations experts to help them make strategic decisions in connection with the construction of a new public transport network from scratch.