Commuters in Abu Dhabi will be able to enjoy free bus rides for two more months before a fare system is introduced in March 2009, it was announced on Monday.
“Free bus journey in Abu Dhabi will be extended for two more months and a fare system will be introduced from March,” said Saeed Al Hameli, General Manager, Bus Office of Abu Dhabi Department of Transport.
Al Hameli added that over 9 million commuters or an average of 50,000 people a day caught free rides on air-conditioned buses over the past six months and “many requested that the free service be extended”.
The move is in response to passengers’ requests and aimed at allowing more commuters to taste the service and change their attitude towards the public transport service, he said.
Additions
The announcement came as two new arterial routes were added in the second week of December, to the bus network, taking the total number of routes to nine. Three more routes will be added by the end of the first quarter of next year.
Initially, it was planned to introduce a fare system at the beginning of January 1.
The new tariff for the service, which will be announced by mid-January, will be affordable, Al Hameli said without elaborating further.
The new city buses, which can carry about 45 passengers, are a short-term solution. They will be replaced by buses of a higher quality by the end of the year, according to the Department of Transport. Next year, the department plans to have buses making 2,000 trips a day on 21 routes on the island. By 2010, there will be 1,360 air-conditioned buses operating in the emirate.
“This is the first step on the long road ahead that will fuel further economic growth, contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions, enhance quality of life and establish a sustainable public transportation system for all the people of Abu Dhabi.”
Al Hameli said the Department of Transport plans to serve as many as 70,000 to 80,000 commuters a day.
“We are working on availability of the service, but the next phase will be dedicated to reliability of the service.”
He added the aim is to develop a comprehensive public transportation network that will appeal to all segments of society. Our biggest challenge today is to encourage car owners to utilise the new facilities and infrastructure.
Upon completion of the project, Abu Dhabi will boast one of the world’s most modern bus fleets, he said.
New order: Delivery of 500 buses
The first shipment of 500 city buses and long-distance coaches, worth more than Dh1 billion, will be delivered on January 5, said Saeed Al Hameli, the general manger for bus transportation at the Department of Transport.
The deal is part of the Abu Dhabi’s long-term plan to develop an integrated public transport network for its growing population, which is projected to triple in the next two decades to 3.1 million residents. The new order follows the deployment in June of 120 new buses from a Chinese manufacturer as an interim measure to solve the emirate’s immediate transport challenges.
Al Hameli said the first of 400 buses from MAN would arrive in January 5, with the remaining 100 buses from Mercedes slated to arrive in the middle of next year.
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