Source: www.rta.ae
H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), has recently received a Bahraini delegation headed by Her Excellency Ms. Mariam Ahmed Jamaan, Under-Secretary of Land Transport & Post Ministry, the Kingdom of Bahrain, with members comprising Hassan Adel Abu Hassan, Director of Public Transport Organization, and Ms. Safa Mohammed Baqir Al Tajir, Head of Land Transport Licensing.
At the start of the meeting Al Tayer commended the fraternal relations linking the UAE and the Kingdom of Bahrain under the prudent leadership of both sister countries. “Visits of delegations from GCC countries offer a splendid opportunity for sharing expertise and boosting cooperation in various fields as well as benefiting from the expertise of individual GCC countries. The RTA is therefore keen on offering all experience and resources in serving sister and friendly countries,” said Al Tayer.
During the meeting, the two parties reviewed RTA’s experience in migrating from using private vehicles to using public transport means. “Since inception the RTA attended to improving mass transit systems to make them the ideal mobility choice of people in the Emirate, and set out plans aimed at augmenting the public transport ridership from 6% in 2006 to as much as 30% by 2020. In this regard it constructed the Dubai Metro project which is considered the world’s longest driverless metro line comprising a Red Line opened on 9/9/2009 and a Green Line opened on 9/9/2011. The fleet of public buses was beefed up from 560 buses at the time of establishing the RTA to more than 1573 buses in 2013.
More than 900 air-conditioned bus shelters have been constructed at bus stops all over Dubai, bus depots at Al Awir, Al Rawiyya, Al Khawaneej and Jebel Ali have been completed, and the water transport witnessed the operation of the water bus, water taxi, and Dubai ferry besides retrofitting 154 abras.
“As a result of these efforts, the public transport means in the Emirate have become vital for the daily mobility of residents and visitors, with a current ridership exceeding 1.2 million riders per day,” added Al Tayer in a final remark.
The Bahraini delegation was delighted with the visit and impressed with the model of the RTA; which is considered as one of the most successful entities in improving public transport systems.
Her Excellency Marian Ahmed Jamaan hailed the speed of constructing the infrastructure for roads and the metro in Dubai, revamping of public transit means, and the integration between mass transit means. She also commended the Dubai Metro project featuring a stunning design, high-class finishing, and excellent passenger service.
