Currently, bus tickets at Terminal 3 are sold only during Metro operating hours
Mustaq (name changed) is a bus driver serving Dubai. Until recently, he was responsible for transporting passengers arriving at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport. But not in the early morning hours, as passengers would not be able to purchase a ticket for the bus.
Bus route C1 serves passengers from Terminal 3 and Terminal 1. The service runs 24 hours, 7 days a week, and is a welcome transport option for travellers who arrive in Dubai in the late hours. There is only one problem: at Terminal 3 bus tickets are only available during the operating hours of Dubai Metro, and these hours do not correlate to the busy flight schedule of the terminal.
Mushtaq says: "On Friday morning the Metro does not start until 1pm. This is a problem. I had to turn down many tourists who were unable to purchase tickets on Fridays."
Essa Abulrahman Al Hashmi, Director of Planning and Business Development, RTA, says, "The RTA is currently developing an action plan to improve the service at the terminal. And a ticket counter and a bus service stand will be among the solutions."
"Coming soon, there will be a public bus service stand within Terminal 3 to provide Nol cards. We are also communicating with the Airport Management in order to allocate a location to sell tickets at the RTA information desk inside the airport. These two facilities will be available in the arrival hall, en route to the exit."
In addition, the RTA is coordinating with Dubai Duty Free to start selling RTA Nol cards similar to how these are provided at Terminal 1 and 2. "This is in line with the launch of Nol card payment in the taxi, which will be available at all taxi stations soon," said Al Hashmi.
If the plans go ahead, it would considerably improve the options for many tourists that travel through Dubai Airport every day. If any cash at hand, tourists are unlikely to carry a Nol card with them, and ticket sale has been banned from the bus.
"Previously, we were permitted to sell tickets in the bus on this route, to solve the problem," says Mushtaq. Every driver would have about five tickets, in case he had to turn down passengers. But we are not permitted to do this anymore."
"The tourists get very disappointed. Some of them opt for the bus because they do not have so much money and they do not wish to take the taxi. But without a bus ticket or Nol card, the taxi becomes their only option."
"For the time being the taxi service is the only available option outside metro hours," acknowledges Al Hashmi. "The practice of selling tickets in the bus was stopped because it was against the standard operating procedures. It is not part of the driver's responsibilities and it created inconvenience for customers, in case the driver was not carrying the necessary change. It also led to unnecessary delays in bus departures leading to more inconvenience for commuters."
While the options are limited at Terminal 3, travellers at Terminal 1 find easier transportation during the night. Here, tickets can be purchased at the bus station itself day and night, a facility only available at a rare number of bus stops.
En route C1, which serves both terminals, bus tickets are also available at Al Ghusais, Rashidiya, Satwa, Jebel Ali, and Hatta, informs a customer service representative, adding that C1 is the only bus route serving the terminals 24 hours a day.
A ticket machine at the bus stop will not be made available at Terminal 3, says al Hashmi, but the stand will be easily accessible. Signage will be provided and the stand can be reached from within the terminal as well as from outside.
"We are seeking to provide a robust service for the customers," he adds.
Terminal 3 is dedicated to the flights of Emirates airline only, and was recently upgraded with the addition of Concourse A, which increased the collective capacity of all terminals from 60 to 75 million passengers per year.
Dubai International Airport is ranked the second busiest airport in the world in terms of international passengers according to Airports Council International's latest figures, and the airport serves more than 125 airlines flying to more than 284 destinations across six continents.
Passenger traffic in January 2014 reached 6.4 million, while the total number of passengers in 2013 exceeded 66.4 million.
© Emirates 24|7 2014
