Three months free service in Al Barsha and Al Warqaa
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority’s (RTA) has launched a trial run of its ‘bus on demand’ service. The service will be provided free in areas of Al Barsha and Al Warqaa for the next three months. The app-based service - using the MVMANT app - enables customers to order a bus to take them from their location to the nearest public transport station or stop.
During the trial phase, six buses will be deployed to run bus service at Al Barsha and Al Warqaa. A survey will be conducted at metro stations for residents of these two districts to assess their needs, preferences and views about the service before being activated.
“The 18-seater buses will operate on flexible routes and schedules, and bus drivers can know the service demand through the app to reach the nearest point to their destinations,” said Ahmed Bahrozyan, CEO of RTA’s Public Transport Agency.
“RTA has entered the geographical data of Al Warqaa 3 and 4 and Al Barsha 1 and 2 in MVMANT app, which is available on Google Play and Apple Stores on mobile phones. Through the app, customers living at Al Warqaa and Al Barsha will be able to identify their locations and track the bus arrival times to their locations."
Bahrozyan said the new bus system, which is one of RTA’s initiatives towards Dubai Future Accelerators and the Smart City to develop innovative solutions for the First and Last Mile challenges, is being launched to address the needs of public transport riders.
“They can avail of the service through the smart app, which enables them to figure out their routes from the start point to destination point, choose their preferred seats, and pay fares. The service will be an innovative solution to the First and Last Mile between the homes of clients and the nearest public transport station,” he explained.
“During the trial operation, we will assess the efficiency of the service in terms of accessibility to riders, response period, and the time of journey to the destination. A questionnaire will be provided at the Metro stations in those two selected areas to probe their needs, views and thoughts about the service before being activated in order to ensure that it will be up to their expectations of a smooth and secure transport.”