Ending your fast inside the Metro trains during Ramadan will invite a fine, a senior Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) official has warned.

Ramadan Abdullah, Director of Operations of Rail Agency at the RTA, said: “Eating is not allowed on the trains. And this rule won’t change. Anyone inside the train who wants to end his fast can just disembark at the next station. People can sit on the chairs in the platforms and eat.”

Abdullah said parents who wish to feed their babies must also disembark at the nearest Metro station — but should not feed their baby inside the trains.

“Honestly, we’ve seen someone feeding a child on the train and wiping her hand on the seat. Others wouldn’t like to use dirty seats. Hence, we would like to protect other commuters by avoiding possible spillage of food or mess created while eating. We also have to protect our assets. We don’t want to end up with dirty and smelly units.” He also pointed out that many train stations have small restaurants and convenience stores that sell food and beverages. “Eating in the Metro station platform area is already allowed, and it will be allowed after the end of the fast,” he said. He also urged commuters to follow local laws and avoid eating and drinking at the Metro stations during the fasting hours.

Read more:  http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/no-ending-fast-on-dubai-metro-rta-1.844145

A Metro passenger is demanding reimbursement, claiming he was overcharged over several weeks for his rides.

Patrick Francis, a regular commuter, said that the tariff from Ibn Battuta to Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) station used to be just Dh2.30 as it’s within one zone. But he cited “evidence” that he’s been charged Dh4.10 – nearly 80 per cent more – for an eight-minute ride from JLT to Ibn Battuta station between 3.08pm and 3.16pm on July 2.

“This has been happening over the last two to three weeks,” said the Indian executive who lives in Discovery Gardens and works at JLT. He also claimed that the charge for the feeder bus from Ibn Battuta Metro Station to Discovery Gardens has been “raised” to Dh4.10, again offering his Nol card usage history as proof.

41% more

Meanwhile, he said the original fare from Ibn Battuta to Financial Centre is Dh4.10, but he was charged Dh5.80, 41 per cent more.

Another regular Metro user who didn’t want to be named claimed that the fare from Ibn Battuta to Deira City Centre used to be just Dh4.60, but he said he was being charged Dh5.80 since March, 26 per cent more.

When XPRESS contacted Ramadan Abdullah, Rail Operations Director under the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) he said there the Rail Agency had not increased tariffs, adding they had ways to deal with complaints of overcharging.

“We have not changed or increased any fares for the public,” said Abdullah.

“Also, if customers are in doubt about their journey and charges, they can go to any Metro station ticket office and discuss with them to clarify and they [the customer] can be assisted.”

However, Francis insisted that the staff at the Metro ticket booth in Ibn Battuta were of no help.

“One told me there are some ‘technical glitches’ causing this. Another person said the tariffs had been revised, and a third said she did not know anything [about the problem],” said Francis.

Abdullah said ticket office agents needed a reasonable amount of time to check on complaints. “Complaints come through the system to the concerned agency. If it’s valid after verification, our customers will be refunded.”

How to complain:

Lodge a complaint with the RTA Call Centre 800 9090 by providing Nol usage history (can be requested from the Metro station counter)

Go to any Metro station or bus ticket office and register a complaint

The Organising Committee of the Dubai Award for Sustainable Transport (DAST) at the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) is to organise an extensive gathering about the 4th edition of DAST 2011.

It has invited representatives of government and semi-government departments as well as private businesses spanning the whole UAE rather than Dubai Emirate only.

The gathering will be attended by the head of the Judges Committee Dr Salem Al Shaafi’ee, head of the Organising Committee Dr Khalid Mohammed Al Zahed, and members of both committees.

“The gathering, which will be held on July 21 at the auditorium of RTA’s Headquarter, is expected to attract a considerable number of representatives and delegates,” according to Dr Khalid Al Zahed, head of the award’s Organising Committee.

“We will discuss a number of cases and issues of concern to the participants in the award, including the points of weakness and improvement potentials for non-winners in the previous rounds of the award. We will also exchange views capable of improving the mechanism of the award and broadening its future horizons.”

Rewarding loyal customers and regular travellers, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is planning to launch a Nol monthly pass for a fixed price soon.

Though much details of the card were unavailable, Abdullah Al Madani, CEO of RTA’s Corporate Support Services Sector, said that the card is in the process of being finalised and all the details like the price, availability and eligibility criteria would be announced soon.

The monthly pass would be launched around the same time that the much anticipated Combi card, which will act both as a credit/debit card and a Nol card, is also expected to arrive.

“The combi card, through which people would be able to enjoy dual benefits of a Nol card as well as a credit/debit card, would be available in the market by Q4 of 2011,” said Al Madani exclusively to Khaleej Times.

Al Madani explained that apart from the obvious benefits of the credit card, the combi card would also have additional option of auto top-up of the NoL purse. But the facility is optional and a person while applying for the combi card would have to opt for it to avail the service. This will make sure that once the purse value goes below a pre-selected minimum amount, it will auto-top up the purse to another pre-selected value.

Al Madani said that the system will ensure that a customer won’t have to keep track of his purse and he won’t have to wait in queue at the stations and top-up the card.

The card would be personalised like the Nol blue cards with a picture and name of the holder passed on it, ensuring that it won’t be misused.

Although it wasn’t officially confirmed, sources close to both RTA and EmiratesNBD said that the card is likely to be free for the bank’s existing customers, while the fee for new customers is not known yet.

The two specialised cards come close on the heels of RTA’s recent launch of a daily pass as well as free pass and discounted fares for people with special needs, students and senior Emirati citizens respectively. These cards have been available to eligible candidates since March 15.

A daily pass costs Dh14 for unlimited trips, which can be extended for up to three days for Dh42.

Several online Nol services were also launched recently like the online top-up facility, tracking of applications for blue cards, reporting lost cards, and accessing transaction history.

Authorities from Dubai’s public transport are choosing to take a soft line in channeling people to public transport by placing adverts, highlighting the availability of thousands of parking spaces at some Metro stations, rather than stiffening licencing procedures.

“Drop the car. Free park and ride. Using the Metro is easier than ever,” goes a line in the local media.

“With over 5,700 parking spaces at Nakheel Harbour and Tower and Rashidiya stations, you can just leave your car behind. Along with the traffic.”

At the Rashidiya depot, the parking building has 2,700 spaces while Nakheel and Harbour accommodate parking spaces for 3,000 cars. Once the Green Line opens in September, the 3,000 parking space in Al Qusais will be available.

By choosing the approach of “appealing” to the potential passengers, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has done what many people may not have thought.

The transportation body was frequently asked whether they would not put in place stringent measures such as a legislation to draw people away from their cars.

Some residents however said they’re drawn to the Metro and buses for reasons more than parking space.

“I find it cheap to go by Metro. Yes, I have a car, but to move from my residential area near the Internet City to the Mall of Emirates I go by Metro which costs me less than Dhs7 for both ways, whereas going by taxi costs me Dhs24. It is cheaper and indeed faster,” said Abdul Wahab Ali.

However, another resident of the same area who works in Sharjah, pointed out that “because there is a lack of connection points with Sharjah, I have little option but to use my car.”

“But when I am not heading to Sharjah, I usually use the Metro. Each time I ride, I get fond of it,” Sharifah Hassan said.

Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of the Board and Executive Director of RTA said that the number of Metro users is likely to increase considerably with the opening of the Green Line in September.”The RTA has made strenuous efforts to upgrade mass transit systems in Dubai and to make them the first choice of commuters within the Emirate. One of the core objectives of the RTA is to reduce the use of private vehicles and increase the use of mass transit means from six per cent in 2009 to as much as 30 per cent in 2020,” said Al Tayer.

Delay per daily trip reduced from 15 minutes to 5.5 minutes

Traffic congestion in Dubai has been reduced by up to 63 per cent even as money lost annually due to waste of time and fuel in traffic has come down by 51 per cent over the last five years.

Around Dh2.4 billion were lost in time and fuel loss due to traffic congestion last year, less than half of the whopping Dh4.9 billion lost in 2005, the year Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) was founded, Arabic daily Al Khaleej reported.

“The total value of saving time and fuel since the establishment of RTA amounted to Dh35.7 billion, a direct benefit of dozens of infrastructure projects completed by RTA in the last few years,” said Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of RTA.

He said the delay per daily trip was reduced from 15 minutes to 5.5 minutes, improving by an incredible 63 per cent, which resulted in the drop of average time for the journey between the fourth intersection on Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Mulla Plaza from 88 minutes to 28 minutes.

The target was achieved after several infrastructure projects were completed simultaneously, including the completion of Business Bay, the improvement of Al Ittihad Road, the expansion of Sheikh Zayed Road, opening of new Al Garhoud Bridge and the Floating Bridge, as well as the development of Emirates Road and Dubai Bypass Road.

The opening of Dubai Metro has also had a positive impact on traffic. Thanks to the tremendous work, Dubai ranked thirty-fifth in the quality of the infrastructure in the last evaluation conducted by world city mayors.

During the last five years the length of roads in Dubai increased by 29 per cent, while the bridges increased by 195 per cent, jumping from 108 to 319. The number of tunnels also increased by 57 per cent. Al Tayer added that the increase of lanes across Dubai Creek from 19 in 2005 to the current 48 has played a major role in reducing traffic.

H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), stated that the shrewd vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, enabled the Dubai Emirate to thrive and prosper like no other city in the region, rendering it a creative city punctuated with investment projects spanning airports, ports, rail and transport systems.

Thanks to these advantages, Dubai has made unprecedented strides over the last decade in the infrastructure development.

Al Tayer made this statement in the Engineers Society Forum recently held in Kuwait where he reviewed RTA’s experiment (foundation, challenges and achievements) in the presence of H.E. Dr. Fadil Safar, State Minister of Municipal Affairs and Minister of Public Works; Dr. Engineer Husam Al Kharafi, Chairman of Kuwaiti Engineers Society; Engineer Adel Al Kharafi, President of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations; and Engineer Abdullah Fahad Al Anzi, Member of the Municipal Council and Chairman of the Technical Committee; and a number of officials and engineers in Kuwait.

RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director Mattar Al Tayer briefed the participants on the challenges encountered by the RTA from inception and achievements made in its transition to mass transit modes in Dubai.

Al Tayer said, “RTA was established to provide an excellent roads and transport infrastructure that supports the vision of Dubai Emirate, consolidate the roles and responsibilities of developing roads and transport systems in the Emirate under a Single Service Management, address the overriding challenges highlighted by the traffic congestion and traffic safety issues, and introduce a new structural thinking based on a corporate system. From the start, RTA faced a number of challenges topped by the transfer of roles, assets and technological systems from the Dubai Municipality, the General HQ of Dubai Police and Dubai Transport Corporation in a record time.

It also had to source the competent administrative and technical staff and sort out the traffic congestion which costs the Emirates about 4.8 billion worth of losses in terms of time wasted in tailbacks. Challenges also included traffic safety issues where traffic fatality rate was as high as 22 cases per 100 thousand of population in 2006 compared to 5 – 6 cases in countries like Britain and Sweden. RTA had also got to cope with the limited use of mass transit systems; which accounted for no more than 6% whereas this rate was as high as 40 – 80% in the advanced countries, and keep abreast of the needs of the fast economic and urban development seen by the Emirate of Dubai.”

“RTA has therefore developed plans to overcome these challenges. As far as the transfer of roles and assets is concerned, RTA formed joint work teams with various concerned departments. In the field of human resources, RTA attracted qualified individuals locally and abroad, sought the support of specialist recruitment agencies and dispatched specialized teams to various countries to select qualified personnel. In the field of traffic safety, RTA set out an integrated program aimed at gradually reducing traffic fatalities where the number of fatalities dropped from 22 cases per 100 thousand of population in 2006 to 8 cases in 2010. In the field of protecting the environment from carbon emissions, the plan envisaged the introduction of Euro 4 standards on vehicles emissions and made the satisfaction of the environmental standards a standing requirement in all newly procured buses.

As to the traffic congestion issues, RTA undertook a number of road and bridge projects and accordingly the number of lanes crossing over Dubai Creek has jumped from 19 lanes to 48 lanes recording in the process a 153% increase. The total length of roads network in Dubai Emirate increased from 8715 km in 2005 to more than 11208 km in 2010 (a 29% increase), the number of bridges increased from 108 to 319 bridges (a 195% increase), the number of tunnels increased from 21 to 54 tunnels (a 57% increase), and the number of pedestrian crossings increased from 25 to 74% (a 71% increase),” Al Tayer said.

“RTA also attended to a radical modernization of mass transit systems through undertaking the Dubai Metro, the world’s longest metro project undertaken as a single project stretching 75 km and spanning 47 stations. Phase I of the project (Red Line) was opened on 9/9/2009 and next September the Green Line will be opened. RTA also modernized the bus fleet which was beefed up from 620 buses in 2005 to 1421 buses in 2010 and 800 air-conditioned bus shelters for waiting bus passengers were constructed throughout the Emirate.

Modernization drive also covered the marine transit systems; which were previously restricted to traditional abras but today include the water bus, water taxi and ferry Dubai, besides engaging in the trial run of abras CNG-powered abras. Thanks to these projects, the number of mass transit users jumped from 163 thousand riders in 2005 to 309 million riders in 2010. moreover, work is up and running in the construction of Al Safouh Tram; extending 14 km covering 19 stations; which is expected to be operational in mid 2014,” continued Al Tayer.

In his speech, Al Tayer touched on the e-services offered by the RTA where the transition rate has clocked 100% of all services previously agreed upon with the Dubai e-Government. Services include vehicle registration, payment of fines, payment of parking fees through the mobile phone (mParking), the Dynamic Navigation System (Dalili), upgrading of the traffic technologies, toll gate systems (Salik) and other programs namely Wojhati, Sharekni and Awselni aimed at enhancing the role of public transport. It also posted the details of public transport on Google Maps, thus Dubai became the first MENA city that managed to post its public transport network in the digital space (Google Maps). RTA also launched innovative e-services such as the online taxi booking system or through an SMS.

Al Tayer concluded his speech by reviewing the key excellence aspects of the RTA which revolve around five elements namely: Leadership, result-oriented, quality-driven, customer centricity and caring for human resources. He stated that the implementation of these principles contributed to RTA receiving coveted local, regional and international awards.

The speech delivered by Al Tayer was well received and praised by senior Kuwaiti officials who were impressed with the massive efforts and achievements made by the RTA in a record time. They also commended RTA strategic plan set for upgrading mass transit systems in Dubai Emirate as well as the integrated and balanced approach adopted by the RTA in its transport and traffic strategic plan.

During the visit, Al Tayer was accompanied by the Acting CEO of Strategy and Corporate Governance Sector Nasir Hamad Bu Shehab, Director of Development and Corporate Performance Ahmed Al Hamadi, and Manager of Public Relations and Events Fahad Hadi.

The number of 12,811 fines issued by the Metro’s security staff since its inception may seem big to many, reflecting a high number of violations.

But according to a senior official from RTA, it is very low compared to the other big cities in the world, where violations and crime levels are quite high. This, definitely makes Dubai Metro one of the safest in the world.

“Very few crime or antisocial cases have been reported on the trains or stations so far, and the dedicated Dubai Metro Police have not come across anything major so far. They are trained and ready to handle anything if they come across,” said Adnan Al Hammadi, CEO of RTA’s Rail Agency.

A few cases of theft and a few brawls had been reported. Apart from that there hadn’t been any untoward incidents, he added.

Though, the crime rate is absolutely low, 1.5 cases per million passengers, when compared to some of the other big cities in the world where the rates range between six to 15 cases per million passengers, there are near daily instance of violations that reflect in the number of fines issued.

As the violations range, so do the fines, ranging from Dh100 for offences like putting up the feet on the seat, eating or drinking; to Dh2,000 for misusing the emergency button.

So, how does Dubai Metro manage to keep the crime rate down?

Apart from the dedicated police force and close to 3,000 CCTV cameras that monitor every area of the trains and stations, there are also hundreds of specially trained, mostly female, attendants who are hands on to take care of any situation that arises on metro.

Here we talk to a few Metro attendants to get an insight into what happens daily on the trains. Though each narrated different experiences, they were all unanimous in confirming that they have found Dubai Metro much safer than some of the other train systems they have visited.

“Our days are fairly peaceful on Dubai Metro. Apart from making sure everything is in order, there is nothing much to do. I even sometimes get bored of not doing anything,” said Agnus (name changed), who joined Dubai Metro last year.

She added that apart from the occasional arguments or misunderstandings, people in Dubai are generally very disciplined.

Another attendant, Mariam (name changed) said that she had come across a few misbehaving men who don’t listen and had to be dealt with sternly. “These cases are few and far between. There was a particular incident when a man tried to molest a woman. When the woman protested he tried to be violent. Our guards had to drag him out,” she added.

Penalties for such cases could be anything between a fine of Dh2,000 and even a jail-term.

She urged people to keep a few things in mind to avoid trouble, like: Not to push, keep personal space, not to rush and avoid eating on the Metro.

The Dubai Metro’s Green Line is touted by the transport authorities as one that “easily links most of the government departments.”

“When you arrive at the airport, you can circulate most of the government departments within less than half an hour,” the Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Mattar Al Tayer told the media in his chambers at Umm Ramool, Rashidiya on June 21.

The intra-city line that is due for opening “shortly before Eid next September” spans 23 km from Al Qusais to Al Jadaf. It comprises 16 stations in addition to the transfer stations; Union and Khalid bin Al Waleed Stations, shared with the Red Line.

“I boarded the trial trains last week and it was amazing. The Central Business Districts are covered in minutes,” Al Tayer said.

The 16 stations are: Etisalat Station, situated at Al Qusais near Emirates Road; Al Qusais Station, situated near the building of the Ministry of Education and the General Department of Dubai Civil Defence as well as Al Tawar Centre – a hub for several Government services, and the Airport Free Zone Station, where Terminal 2 and Dubai Airport Free Zone are located.

Other stations are Al Nahda which is adjacent to the building of the Ministry of Public Works and the Union Cooperative Society; Al Ahli Club and Al Qiyadah -both on Al Ittihad Road near the Dubai Police General HQ.

There is Abu Hail Station, close to public schools, commercial centres and businesses; Abu Baker Al Siddique Station, near Al Muraqqabat Police Station among others in Deira area before extending to Oud Metha close to Al Nasr Club and the Dubai Healthcare City.

Al Tayer said he has now turned into a “consultant of sort” in the Gul Cooperation Council (GCC).

“They want to know how we managed to tame traffic congestion in such a short  period of time.

“Within two days, I will be off to Kuwait, and I have an invitation for the Sultanate of Oman,” he said. The RTA was established in 2005 and “it was a challenge in the first five years,” Al Tayer remarked.

The Metro’s Green Line, which is likely to have an Eid launch in September this year, will have greater impact than its predecessor, easing traffic particularly in the city’s clogged Central Business Districts (CBD), said Matar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Roads and Transport Authority.

The 22-km second line of the Metro snakes through the heart of the city, touching all important locations, including most of the government departments and ministry offices.

The maximum travel time within the network is estimated to be 15-20 minutes, nearly half of the current average journey time on the clogged roads in the CBD.

“The Dubai Metro has already had a profound impact on the way Dubai moved, but the complete impact would be felt only once the Green Line starts. Though it is a smaller line in terms of distance, it touches all important locations in the city and would drastically reduce the travel time within the area it covers,” said Matar Al Tayer.

Speaking to the Press at a special majlis at the RTA head office, Al Tayer confirmed that there would be a drastic change in the city life once the Green Line starts. “The CBD area would transform for the better and there will greater mobility as the traffic would reduce considerably.”

He said RTA had worked hard for the last five years to improve the traffic situation in Dubai, spending Dh60 billion on various projects including the Metro.

“RTA’s success serves as an inspiration for others in the region and many delegations from across the region continuously visit us to seek our expertise in infrastructure and mobility projects,” said Al Tayer, highlighting Dubai’s achievements in the 
mobility sector.

Around 13 trains would roll out on the Green Line, served by 16 stations initially. Nearly 20 more trains would stand ready to be added as and when demand rises.

Two more stations on the Green Line, which are located in Al Jaddaf and are ready to operate, would open when there is enough demand from the area.

Currently RTA is conducting integrated testing and commissioning on the Green Line and the complete system operations demonstration test is expected to be carried out in next month, after which the line would be ready to operate. In terms of expansion of Metro, the RTA is currently conducting a study to develop and revise Rail Master Plan, which is going to discuss future lines, technology options as well as implementation strategies. “We are continuously revising our plans to update periodically and add more features to our Master Plan and once new study is ready we will decide on expansion,” said Adnan Al Hammadi, CEO of RTA’s Rail Agency. Once the Green Line gets rolling, Dubai Metro, in combination with the Red Line would be the world’s largest driverless rail network.