By Ashfaq Ahmed, Chief Reporter www.gulfnews.com
Dubai: More than 180 passengers were slapped fines during the first month of the Dubai Metro operation.
Most of the passengers who were fined were found travelling in the Gold Class while using Silver Nol Card, which is good only for the Silver (Economy) Class. The second largest number of fines were issued to passengers who were found eating and drinking in the trains while some got fines for placing their feet on the seats.
Metro inspectors, who wore suits and ties, had a tough time issuing fines because majority of the passengers resisted and refused to show them their IDs, necessary to issue fines. Many of the passengers were handed over to the Metro police for defying fines and for not following instructions from Metro officers.
“These are very small numbers as most of the passengers behaved well on the Metro,” said an official at the Metro operations. He said that inspectors have been told to be lenient but fines are necessary to ensure the safety of the system and comfortable travel for all.
There are about 31 fines ranging from Dh100 to Dh2,000. The maximum fine is issued to anyone pressing the emergency button and using the emergency exits without real emergency.
The fines apply on all modes of transport including public buses, taxis and water transport.
