By Andy Sambidge  www.arabianbusiness.com
Nearly 280,000 passengers have used the Dubai Metro system in its first five days of operation, figures released on Tuesday have revealed.
The Rail Agency at Dubai Roads and Transport Authority said that 42,782 passengers had used the service on Monday across 10 stations on the Red Line, pushing up the total number of passengers since last Thursday’s launch to 279,782.
The metro is currently averaging 56,000 passengers per day which would give an estimated annual usage of more than 20 million passengers.
“They [the numbers] reflect the huge turnout and public up-take of Dubai Metro as a means of mobility. We are thrilled with this uprising trend in metro ridership,” said Peyman Younes Parham, director of Marketing & Corporate Communication Department at RTA Corporate Administrative Support Services Sector.
Commenting on Nol Cards, Peyman added that they were now available at all Spinneys supermarkets in Dubai.
“This step is intended to provide the best means of paying for mobility fare in Dubai, provide more options for buying Nol cards, and minimise the congestion of metro users to buy Nol cards from Metro stations,” he said.
He urged metro users to heed the guidance of station attendants during peak hours to avoid crowding the stations during the boarding and alighting process.
