Wednesday, Oct 10, 2012
Abu Dhabi: Public bus fares across Abu Dhabi will be increased by up to 100 per cent beginning November 1, a senior transport official told Gulf News Wednesday.
From a dirham, the standard fare will be Dh2 from next month. Buses will also be equipped with a fully automated fare collection system by next year.
The automated fare collection will be similar to the Nol card system in Dubai where a card is scanned on a terminal each time a passenger boards and disembarks a bus.
The new fare structure unifies public transport tariff throughout the emirate, making it Dh2 within Abu Dhabi city, while in the suburbs the tariff will start from Dh2 in addition to 5 fils per kilometre, with Dh5 being the average, Saeed Mohammed Fadel Al Hameli, General Manager of the Bus Office at the Department of Transport, said.
He added that the tariff for inter-city public transport will start from Dh10 in addition to 10 fils per kilometre with Dh25 being the average.
Al Hameli said the new structure was adopted after months of in-depth studies into all economic aspects relating to the use of the public transport system to provide a more efficient and reliable public transportation service.
“We are continuously striving to upgrade and enhance the public transportation network in order to provide commuters with a comfortable and safe transport system whereby the means of transportation becomes the ideal choice for commuters — this will ultimately reduce traffic congestion and protect the environment,” he said.
The current bus fleet includes around 800 buses that can serve more than 170,000 commuters per day.
In addition, more than 500 buses operate in Abu Dhabi city, over 200 in Al Ain and 80 buses for inter-city travel, all of which operate at an average of 18 hours per day.
Al Hameli said plans are in place to increase the fleet to 1,360 buses within the next three years.
Furthermore, several new bus routes have been introduced recently across the emirate, such as Mussafah bus station-Al Ain International Airport, Abu Dhabi International terminal-Al Ain bus station and Abu Dhabi bus station-Al Ain bus station.
Additional routes will also be introduced in the next few months as part of the DoT’s efforts to boost the usability of public transport.
Meanwhile the Department of Transport has also launched Ojra bus cards in Al Ain and the Western Region — the cards are currently available in the capital.
In addition, “Reaya” cards are available for senior citizens, aged 60 and above, and individuals with special needs, in Abu Dhabi.
“Hafelaty” cards are available for students as a part of efforts to develop and enhance the public transport system in Abu Dhabi, said Al Hameli.
Passengers may purchase “Ojra” bus passes for unlimited weekly or monthly use for a nominal charge of Dh30 per week or Dh80 per month. Annual Ojra cards, entitled “Hafelaty”, are available for students for Dh500, while senior citizens and individuals with special needs will be eligible for a new “Reaya” card that entitles them to free unlimited travel on all of the DoT buses.
Ojra cards are available for purchase at accredited selling points and at all Red Crescent centres across the emirate.
The automated fare collection will be similar to the Nol card system in Dubai where a card is scanned on a terminal each time a passenger boards and disembarks a bus.
The current bus fleet comprises around 800 buses that can serve more than 170,000 commuters per day.
In addition, more than 500 buses operate in Abu Dhabi city, over 200 in Al Ain and 80 buses for inter-city travel, all of which operate at an average of 18 hours per day.
Al Hameli said plans are in place to increase the fleet to 1,360 buses within the next three years.
Furthermore, several new bus routes have been introduced recently across the emirate, such as Mussafah bus station-Al Ain International Airport, Abu Dhabi International terminal-Al Ain bus station and Abu Dhabi bus station-Al Ain bus station.
By Samir Salama ?Associate Editor
Gulf News 2012. All rights reserved.
