Dubai: Some 125 new luxury buses, including 70 double deckers, will be added to inter-city routes to improve public transport services between Dubai and other emirates, said a senior official.
The Public Transport Agency (PTA) at the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) on Sunday signed an agreement to get a supply of 55 Volvo luxury coaches at a cost of Dh128 million.
The PTA is already operating 154 buses on nine intercity routes linking Dubai with Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, Dhaid and Masafi. "The first batch of the new 55 state-of-the-art buses will start arriving in September 2008 while the delivery of double decker buses will start in July this year," said Engineer Eisa Al Dossari, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the PTA at a press conference on Sunday.
He also signed an agreement with Al Futtaim Auto and Machinery Company (FAMCO) for the 55 buses.
Al Dossari said the PTA is working closely to start new routes to GCC countries and other Arab countries in the region.
"We can't tell you the date for international bus routes but it is on the cards. Our first priority is to have a modern public transport system for Dubai city following the inter-city bus service," he added.
The RTA currently operates 600 buses in Dubai while it is expected to get 620 new buses by the end of this year and has plans to add 1,616 more buses by 2009.
"We are planning to have a total of 2,500 buses by the end of 2009 to materialise our plans to have an integrated public transport system linking Dubai Metro, buses and marine transport," said Al Dossari.
Abdullah Yousuf, Director of PTA, said there has been a massive increase in the number of passengers using intercity bus routes. They have increased from 2 million in the year 2000 to 17 million per year in 2007.
By Ashfaq Ahmed
© Gulf News 2008
