Dubai-Sharjah bus fare hiked to Dh10 from Dh7

Be prepared to shell out Dh10 instead of Dh7 on all Dubai-Sharjah routes from today. The roads and transport authorities (RTAs) in Dubai and Sharjah announced the hike on Wednesday.

Rashid Mahboob, Intercity Public Bus Manager, Sharjah RTA, told Khaleej Times that the tariff hike is applicable to only one of the two Sharjah-Dubai bus routes in service.

Users of the public transport called the hike “steep”.

Mohan Jeet, a resident of Sharjah, said: “I personally think it is a steep hike. I use the bus to commute to work, and considering the hours of traffic we go through everyday, this hike is uncalled for. They should’ve hiked it up by only Dh2.”

Yogesh Mehboobani, another Sharjah resident, said: “I got a leaflet at the counter of the Al Jubail bus station yesterday and it was displayed inside on the screens as well. It is a 40 per cent hike and public transport is supposed to be economical. This will discourage the use of buses.”

Passengers travelling on bus route number 113, starting from Al Jubail Bus Station opposite the Fish Market, Sharjah, and ending at the Rashidiya Metro Station, will pay an increased fare of Dh10; while the fare on route number 308, which transports commuters from Al Jubail Bus Station to Al Quoz Industrial area and Jebel Ali, remains unchanged at Dh15.

Mahboob said Sharjah saw a significant rise of four per cent in terms of intercity public transport passengers last year. “As many as 5.5 million passengers used intercity public shuttle buses in 2013 as compared to 5.3 million in 2012.”

He said the Sharjah-Qusais-Rashidiya bus route — in both directions — saw 21,990 passengers in 2013. “These represent a 32 per cent jump in comparison to 2012.”

The Sharjah-Abu Dhabi route saw a 11 per cent increase in passengers, while the Sharjah-Hamriya route saw a 17 per cent increase. The Sharjah-Umm Al Quwain and Sharjah-Ras Al Khaimah routes saw eight per cent increase each in 2013. “The rise is mainly due to the development plan adopted for all intercity bus routes.”

Mahboob said Sharjah Transport spares no effort to boost public shuttle service to cope with the progress and prosperity spreading across the emirate, which was named the Capital of Islamic Culture for 2014.

“A good infrastructure in roads and transport has become inevitable to meet the expected growth in activities and programmes to run all year round.”

Dubai’s RTA operates six bus routes between Sharjah and Dubai — to Jebel Ali, Deira, Bur Dubai, Satwa, Rashidiya and Qusais.

The Public Transport Agency of the RTA provides inter-emirates bus service on 11 routes in addition to 11 other routes served by other companies, linking Dubai with all other emirates and cities across the UAE.

Official figures show that RTA inter-City buses transports 1,009,919 passengers every month to other emirates and cities.

ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com