• Home

Residents hail decision to introduce bus service in RAK

RAS AL KHAIMAH — Commuters in the emirate are happy with the decision of Ras Al Khaimah Transport Authority (RAKTA) to introduce bus services, stressing that it would save them from spending on taxis that were the only option so far.

The RAKTA had on Tuesday announced that the bus services starting in September this year would connect various places within the emirate, as well as Ras Al Khaimah with the other emirates.

The Chairman of RAKTA, Colonel Nasser Al Muradad, said a local company had been commissioned to launch the services in the coming three months and small buses would be used initially.

Khaleej Times spoke to scores of commuters and found out that many welcomed the new bus service.

Mohan Ahmed, an Indian expatriate working in a government institution in Ras Al Khaimah, said the introduction of bus services would help them solve the transport problem in the emirate.

"Taxis have been the only public transport in the emirate. They are very expensive and restricted to some areas. I am residing very far from where I am working and I have been spending more than Dh30 on the daily transport to and from work. Since buses are cheaper, we shall be relieved from the burden of spending more on transport," said Ahmed.

Salim Abbas, an Egyptian salesman working in Nakheel area, said the bus services would save him from the burden of walking daily to and from work since he had stopped using taxis recently as their fares were increased.

He noted that since the taxi fares were hiked in March for the new and the old taxis in Ras Al Khaimah, he had opted to walk a distance of almost 2km to and from work, because he could not afford the taxi fares.

For Mahmood Ali, a Bangladeshi waiter in a restaurant in Old Ras Al Khaimah City, said that before the summer started, he used to walk with friends a distance of 3km to and from his place of work because they could not afford taxis.

"Now that the temperatures are high, I share a taxi with friends but sometimes the taxi drivers refuse to take us because it is not allowed here. The introduction of buses will help us so much and would improve public transport in the emirate," said Ali.

Another resident said that since the bus services would connecting all areas of Ras Al Khaimah, it would enable them to reside in the remote areas of the emirate where the rents are relatively lower. "Many people prefer to live in the city areas near their working places in order to avoid spending money on taxis," he added.

According to Col. Muradad, the central bus station would be in Al Nakheel area.

In the initial stages, services will be run to RAK International Airport, Al Jazeera Al Hamra, Al Sham, Al Rams, Khuzzam and other areas. More routes will be added later to reach the remote southern areas.

• UAE