The Public Transportation Agency (PTA) of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority has announced that it will launch new bus routes during the Eid holiday. Starting this Monday, Dubai will welcome three additional public transport routes. They will start from Dubai Mall, Al Nahda and Stadium Metro stations.
However, this change is not temporary and it has little to do with the Eid break. Instead, it is done in attempt to meet the increasing demand for public transport in the city. PTA has estimated that for just one year occupancy rates in Dubai public buses has jumped by about 8%, reaching nearly 43%. In addition, ridership measures in public buses in the city has increased by the impressive 8.4 million riders in only twelve months.
The first new bus route is Route 23. It the Stadium Metro station as its starting point. It will transport passengers to Al Nahda and it will pass at every 20 minutes. Furthermore, during rush hours, the bus travelling on this route will be a double-decker.
Route F23 is the second new route that starts operating this Monday. It will travel to International City and start from Al Nahda. The buses on this route will be double-deckers and will pass even more frequently – every 10-15 minutes.
The third and last additional public bus route is Route 28. It will rely entirely on standard buses and will start from Dubai Mall. The final destination of this route is Lamcy Plaza and its service frequency is set at 20 minutes.
This newly rising public bus demand is quite promising. Previously, Dubai tended to record low public bus passenger rates despite the city’s rapid growth and developments. This negative trend was often attributed to the frequent metro extension in the city.
But apart from meeting the rising demand for public buses, the three new routes are expected to help reduce air pollution levels in Dubai, as well as to decrease traffic congestions. In addition to that, they may even result in less road accidents and further promote the use of public transport in the city.
Dubai’s Public Transportation Agency also shared that it will modify some of the already existing bus routes in Dubai. Routes 22, 88, C19 and E307 will soon pass through Deira City Centre Metro station, while routes F3, F5, F10, 11A, 4, 365 and 366 will include Rashidiya Metro station. The timetables and paths of other routes will also be revised in the near future.
Timetables during Eid Al Fitr
The Roads and Transport Authority also published the public transport timetables that will be valid during the Eid break. From July 28 to July 30, the Green Line of Dubai Metro will start at 5.50 a.m. and it will run until 1 a.m. The Red Line, on the other hand, will open at 5.30 a.m. and will work until 1 a.m.
Until July 30, public bus timings will also be different. However, the timetables of the stations will vary. Still, main bus stations, like Ghubaiba and Gold Souq, will start operating at 5.10 a.m. and run until 9.30 p.m. Others will work even later in the evening – until 11.45 p.m. Among them will be Satwa, Jebel Ali, Al Qusais and Quoz.
Until August 2, every paid parking zone in the city will be free. The only exceptions will be the multi-level parking terminal and the fish market.
 of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority has announced that it will launch new bus routes during the Eid holiday.){kind=link}