Dubai’s public transport will witness an addition of 316 inter-city, double-deck MAN and medium-size OPTARE buses next year the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced on Saturday. Complying with the European Emission Standards featuring Euro 5 and Euro 6 buses for the first time in the MENA region, the fleet of RTA buses will rise to 2085 buses by 2019. The total cost of these buses is Dhs 465 million dirham. The fleet will include 143 deluxe VOLVO coaches for inter-city bus service, 79 double-deck MAN buses to serve urban areas with high-density riders and 94 medium-size OPTARE buses to serve new communities not easily accessible to the large buses.
These buses boast modern designs offering improved accessibility to people of determination and feature high-end interior finishing and roomy seats. The buses have children-designated seats, WiFi service, and USB portals for charging smartphones as well as smart connectivity.
Inter-City VOLVO coaches, the Double-Deck MAN, the OPTARE can accommodate 55, 100 and 33 riders respectively.
“The procurement of the new buses is part of a master plan set out to upgrade mass transit systems in Dubai and keep them aligned with the highest global practices. The plan also calls for providing best-in-class services to mass transit users and keeping abreast of the sustained growth of ridership of these modes. It conforms to RTA’s endeavours to make public transport the ideal mobility choice of people and push the share of public transport in people mobility to as much as 30% by 2030,” said Al Tayer. “Achieving such objectives requires offering high-quality public transport options at affordable rates and with a wide geographical coverage. It also requires raising the public awareness, transforming the culture of using mass transit means, and boosting the integration of all public transport means including buses, metro, tram, taxis and marine transit modes,” he added.
These buses are compliant with the European Emission Standards (Euro 5 and Euro 6); which reflects RTA’s commitment to conserve the environment, optimise the use of energy and reduce the carbon footprint. Safety and Environmental Sustainability is an integral part of RTA’s strategic goals.
The RTA was the pioneer in GCC countries in using the Standardised On-Road Test (SORT) to compare fuel consumption between different buses. The Pre-Qualification of suppliers was based on standards including the ability to manufacture, supply and maintain buses according to approved international standards as well as the financial solvency of local dealers. The introduction of Asset Acquisition Cost concept as a criterion for the assessment & procurement of buses contributes to enhancing the principles of financial and environmental sustainability of buses and ensuring the operational efficiency throughout the lifetime of buses.