Staff reporter www.khaleejtimes.com
DUBAI — A ‘Roaming Bus’ that tours the city, splashed in advertisements luring potential riders, is being used by the Roads and Transport Authority to promote public transport.
Dubai Metro, part of the authority’s push to encourage public transport use, has attracted more than 800,000 riders since it launched on September 9.
On Wednesday, 51,861 commuters travelled aboard the trains.
Eisa Abdul Rahman Al Dosari, CEO of the Public Transport Agency at the authority, said the initiative began at the end of the first half of this year.
It has been mainly used by strategic partners of the authority — other government departments and private companies — to increase public bus ridership among their employees.
“To achieve the intended objectives of the Roaming Bus, and in coordination with RTA Marketing and Corporate Communication Department, we have worked out a comprehensive marketing plan envisaging the allocation of a new bus from the agency to be fitted with promotional internal and external posters to lure the public to use public buses, and setting locations onboard the bus for displaying bus routes and schedules in the emirate of Dubai,” said Al Dosari.
The Roaming Bus campaign will run throughout the year.
The metro’s efforts in encouraging the public to travel in trains resulted in 266,000 people riding them during Eid alone.
Dr Aysha Al Busmait, Director of the authority’s Customer Service Centres, advised metro users to follow guidelines and tips around stations and trains to avoid congestion during peak hours.
She advised the public to charge their Nol cards at other centres rather than at stations during peak hours.
“The Nol cards can be purchased from 22 selling outlets distributed all over Dubai, five public bus stations, eight marine transport stations and nine customers service centres, as well as Spinneys throughout the emirate,” Busmait said.
The Mall of the Emirates Station remains the busiest with nearly 50,000 boarding or departing the trains there, while Dubai Airport Terminal 3 had only about 8,000. “Dubai Metro attracted many to choose it as their transport mode,” she said.
“It is also contributing to reduce the traffic jam and the environmental pollution, as well as is a powerful indicator that the public transport is thriving in the most sophisticated mass transit modes that carry RTA’s vision in ‘Safe & Smooth Transport for All’.”
