Dubai: Commuters, who are 60 years of age and above, will be able to get special discounted fares for the Dubai Metro and public bus in the senior citizens category, said a senior official.
Ramadan Abdullah, Director of the Rail Operations Department at the RTA, told Gulf News that the senior citizens and students would be offered special discounted fares.
"Any commuter who is 60-year-old and above falls in the senior citizens category," he said.
Abdullah, however, explained the special discounted fare cards for senior citizens and students would be rolled out at least two to three months after the metro launch on September 9.
"Different categories of Nol cards will be introduced in phases but only the basic cards and tickets will be available for the Metro launch," he added.
He said that people with special needs would also get discounted fare and it would be announced later.
Single journey fixed fare for seniors and students using the unified cards will be 90 fils compared to the normal Dh1.8 for a journey not exceeding 3km while it will be Dh1.15 compared to Dh2.5 for a single zone.
The fare will be Dh2.5 compared to normal fare Dh4.5 in two zones and Dh2.90 compared to normal fare of Dh6.5 in three zones or more.
A 30-day pass for senior citizens will cost Dh200 while students pay Dh170 for unlimited travel.
The Nol Red cards, Nol Silver Cards and the Nol Blue cards will be available in the market closer to the metro launch whereas the Nol Blue Card and special discounted fare cards will be introduced gradually after the launch of the metro.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) introduced on Monday the Unified Automated Fare Collection Cards (UAFC) for Dubai Metro and public buses.
Fare for the Dubai Metro will range from a minimum Dh1.8 to maximum Dh6.5 for a single journey. A daily unlimited trip pass will cost Dh14 on Metro and the public buses all over the city. Monthly passes will cost Dh100, Dh180 and Dh270.
Abdullah said that senior citizens, students and people with special needs will have to register with the RTA to avail of special discounted cards. The RTA will soon announce the procedure for the registration. He said that registration of the cards and the top-up facilities would also be available online soon.
Once fully launched, the Nol cards will offer various other features in phases such as loyalty points programme, auto recharge facility and car parking.
Cards: Types of fare
There are four types of unified automated fare collection cards called Nol Silver, Nol Blue, Nol Gold and Nol Red.
Nol Silver Card will be the most economical and frequently used card. It will have an e-purse rechargeable up to Dh500. This card can be used immediately upon purchase, rechargeable at any ticket booth.
Nol Blue Card is a personalised card (with user photo inserted on the card) and no other user can use it should it be lost or stolen. It will be launched early next year. It will have e-purse and can have credit of up to Dh500. It enables the user to obtain secure online services such as balance recharging, inquiry about transactions, lodging complaints and receiving SMS.
Nol Gold Card will be used for the commuters intending to use the Gold Class cabin in the trains.
However, the users will be able to use this card for Silver Class as well. Nol Red Card costs Dh2 and can be recharged for up to 10 journeys maximum. It is good for the occasional users of public transport. This ticket doesn't have an e-purse account, and has to be pre-paid with the correct journey type. It will be valid for 90 days from the date of purchase.
Tagging: How to use the Nol card/ticket
Nol cards are contactless cards n Card reading machine will be installed at the entry and exit points of the metro stations platforms
A passenger has to check in at the start of the journey and check out at the end of the journey by tagging the Nol card on the card reading machines attached to the metro platform entry and exit point gates.
All the public buses will also have the card readers installed
Fares will be deducted automatically according to the fare structure How to get Nol cards/tickets n Nol cards/tickets can be obtained from the ticket vending machines
Ticket vending machines will be installed at the metro stations, bus stations, shopping malls and airports
Nol cards/tickets can be obtained from the ticket offices at the metro stations/bus stations and RTA customer service centres
Authorised sales agents will also be announced soon. Online sales and top up facility will also be launched at a later phase.
What is Nol?
The unified automated fare collection card (UAFC) has been named after an old Farsi word nol. "Nol" means "fare" or "cost of using transport". The word is not in common use these days.
Nol is similar to another Arabic word karwa - which is commonly used in Kuwaiti, Bahraini and Qatari dialects. Karwa means "fare" or "cost" of doing any service or certain job. In the past, nol was used to refer to fare or cost of using horse and donkey transportation.
- By Abdullah Rasheed, Abu Dhabi Editor and Ashfaq Ahmed, Chief Reporter
By Ashfaq Ahmed
© Gulf News 2009
