• Home
• /
• UAE

Dh50m transport projects revealed in UAE: New buses, bus routes, stations

Ajman - Commuters can also look forward to the opening of a main public transport station.

Ajman is rolling out Dh50 million worth of transportation projects this year to keep pace with the emirate's growing population, authorities announced on Monday.
The Ajman Transportation Authority (ATA) - formerly Ajman Transportation Services Corporation - revealed that under the massive plan, new buses will be bought on top of expansion projects.
Omar Ahmed bin Omair Al Muhairi, director-general of the ATA, said Dh20 million has been earmarked to purchase a total of 40 buses. Central Ajman's Al Musalla station will also be developed at a cost of Dh5 million, and the 'Speed' vehicle inspection centre shall be expanded with a Dh25-million fund.
Commuters can also look forward to the opening of the main public transport station along Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Street in May, said Al Muhairi.
Then, 10 new bus stations shall be launched, as well as three new bus routes in the areas of Al Jarf Industrial, Al Jarf Commercial and Al Mwaihat, he added.
Public happiness and satisfaction
Al Muhairi said the ATA is committed to fulfilling rider happiness all year round, In 2019, the authority achieved 95 per cent customer satisfaction, which the official attributed to the new digital services that had transformed and streamlined riders' journeys.
The percentage of digital transactions last year increased by 24 per cent compared to the previous year, going from 13,900 to 17,300 transactions, he noted.
Serving tourists is another key priority, so services like 'Sawyer Limousine' and 'Keshta' had been introduced, yielding positive results with limousine trips reaching 5,000 in 2019.
Safety of students' transportation
Al Muhairi pointed out that the ATA is determined to ensure that students are transported by highly qualified drivers.
This is why the authority made it a point to provide proper training to a total of 3,683 school bus drivers, bus supervisors, and taxi drivers, clocking a total of 45,400 training hours, which showed a 15-per cent increase in safety rate.
Expect more female cab drivers
Besides bus service improvements, the ATA is upgrading it fleet of cabs with the expansion of its women taxi fleet. More highly qualified female drivers will be employed, owing to a spike in demand last year.  Women taxi requests through smart applications reached 97,500 in 2019, reflecting a huge jump from only 18,200 requests the previous year.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com