RTA promises better public transport for students of Academic City

Speaking exclusively to Khaleej Times, a senior RTA official said the planning department at the Public Transport Agency (PTA) has taken the complaints of the students seriously and would make the necessary changes required to improve the efficiency of the route.

He also said that apart from the short term adjustment to Route 365, the department is also looking into the possibility of making public transport more accessible to students.

“We are studying the demand for public transport in the area and accordingly we will act. If there is demand, then we have no problems in deploying more buses for students,” said Mohammed Abubaker Al Hashemi, Director Department of Planning and Business Development at PTA.

As a quick solution to the problem he said the length of the route would be reduced and a few unnecessary stops would be cancelled.

However, Hashemi has ensured the students that all possible options, including direct routes during peak hours from Rashidiya Metro Station as well as other areas to the Academic City, would be seriously considered.

Khaleej Times had last month published the woes of students of the Academic City who face great hardship in commuting from different parts of the city to their colleges as there is only one bus route to the area, which is both insufficient and time-consuming.

Route No 365 starts from Rashidiya Metro Station, goes through a number of different localities including the Silicon Oasis and finally reaches the destination in close to an hour.

Students complain that the long-winding route doesn’t help them reach their classes in time, which forces them to opt for other modes of transport, adding to their monthly expenditure.

They urge the authorities to at least start direct routes during peak hours, “which would attract more students to use public transport.” And much to the glee of the students, the authorities have promised to look into the viability of a direct service during peak hours.

Moreover, looking at long-term transport solutions the Academic City students should be delighted at the prospects of having metro at the gates of their colleges and universities as RTA is also studying plans to extend the Green Line of Dubai Metro up to the education cluster in the near future.

“I am glad that the RTA decided to respond in favour of the DIAC students following the article in KT. I can now travel by the Metro and take a bus directly to my university, all in less than 40 minutes. Students will now readily use the transport service,” said Satinder Kaur, a student of Murdoch University.

Another student from the Heriot Watt University said, “The new bus route will save time for students like me who previously found it difficult to travel all across Silicon Oasis and International City.” 


shafaat@khaleejtimes.com