Abu Dhabi, August 24: Department of Transport (DoT) has begun four new local routes in Al Ain from August 22, while 40 new buses will replace the old Chinese buses in the Capital at the same time.
Talking to Khaleej Times, Saeed Al Hameli, general manager, public bus office, DoT, said, “A total of 30 buses will be introduced in Al Ain in the first stage. Then to support this growth in public bus services, 50 high quality buses will be operational along the initial Al Ain routes.”
By the end of 2009, 100 buses will be operational in Al Ain and the total number will reach 134 by 2010, Al Hameli said. By the last quarter of 2011, 350 buses will be operational in Al Ain ensuring a frequent and efficient service throughout the city, he added.
The total fleet of buses in the capital will be 500 by the end of 2009 and by the end of 2010, it would reach around 860. To a question he said, the capacity of these new buses in the capital will be the same — for 80 persons — but these are German-made high quality buses conforming to the EuroIIII standards.
DoT will phase out all the Chinese buses with the new ones which are currently plying. DoT will also reschedule the trips of public buses in the capital for Ramadan and increase it by 30 per cent to meet the demand of commuters on different routes in Abu Dhabi city.
A fixed fare of Dh1 will be charged for the new routes in Al Ain.
A further fare system will be announced in the third quarter of this year for the new public bus services across the city and its environs.
By the end of this year the number of total routes in Al Ain would reach up to eight, while in 2010 it would reach up to 17 routes as the DoT will add nine more routes by the end of next year.In July this year, DoT opened a new bus station in Al Ain, providing passengers with an air conditioned building.
With seats for 114 passengers, plus an additional 24 seats in a women-only waiting area, the new station offers customer service, up-to-date route and timetable information, with televisions and hot and cold drinks available.
New Schedule
DoT will operate a special schedule for the public buses in Al Ain during Ramadan, where services will run every 30 minutes throughout the day from 7am to 11pm and stopping during the iftar from 6:30pm to 7:30pm.
Bus timings in the Capital during Ramadan, will be from 7.30am to 6pm, then from 7.30pm to 2am, a statement from the DoT recently said.
A regular schedule will be launched after Ramadan, Al Hameli said.
–Agencies