Dubai, May 10th, 2006 (WAM) -- The proposed metro project for Abu Dhabi, which is currently under study, will be integrated with the under-construction Dubai Metro project, a top official at the Public Transport Department of Abu Dhabi Municipality told Khaleej Times yesterday.

According to Ahmed Rashed Al Rashedi, Abu Dhabi has been working on the proposed metro project, which is still in the study phase. ?Dubai's Metro project is at least two years ahead of us,? he said in response to a question on how soon the department expects to start work on the project.

Al Rashedi revealed that Abu Dhabi's metro will not only be integrated with Dubai's but also UAE-wide metro lines, and possibly a GCC network in the near future. He said it was too early to comment on the specifics but Abu Dhabi is getting closer to realising the dream.

As part of its ambitious public transport master plan, the department is also working on the introduction of an extensive public transport bus service that would cover the Emirate (Abu Dhabi), Al Ain and the Western region. "We do not have any specific figures at the moment, but our objective is to bring down the private car ownership to 50 per cent of the current rate," he said.

Following Dubai's almost successful model, Abu Dhabi is also planning to have some 500 air-conditioned bus shelters across the capital city. "The area we will cover is thrice the size of Dubai, so the number of bus shelters would be increased in the final phase to 2,500 across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western region," he explained. He added that the entire project would take up to 16 months to commence.

In this regard the department is implementing a franchise system for the capital's taxis, Al Rashedi revealed. "All private taxis currently serving the capital (and the area to be covered by the public transport system) will start to be phased out seven to eight months from now," he said.

According to Al Rashedi, five to seven companies will be given the franchise to run the taxi service, but unlike Dubai, the fare would be cheaper and affordable for all segments of the society.

Replying to a question, he said that the owners of the privately owned taxis (UAE nationals) will be given ample compensation in the form of a monthly payment. He said that there would be a clean system for the implementation of the phasing out of existing taxis and the department would ensure no one is affected by the move. He was replying to a question on the haphazard implementation of a similar move by authorities in Sharjah, where owners/drivers of privately owned taxis had to face cancellation of their taxi licences barely months after registration renewal.

Al Rashedi noted that the taxi franchise companies that will operate in Abu Dhabi will be given clear instructions on the condition of employment of their drivers and no exploitation will be tolerated, he said.

Meanwhile, the department is working to increase the frequency and fleet of the Emirates Express bus service between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Four more buses would be added to the existing fleet of 20, he said, and added that the 13-month old service would be extended to serve Al Ain as well.