Soon, take a bus from Ajman to anywhere in the region

Ajman will have an international transport terminal by September this year, officials have revealed. The Dh9 million terminal will have buses traveling within the emirate, country and the region.

It is coming up on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road.

Omar bin Omair, director-general of the Ajman Public Transport Corporation (APTC), said: "In the first phase, the depot will accommodate 20 buses equipped with modern technology."

The APTC is currently working on establishing 77 bus waiting stations in a various parts of the city to transport residents to and from the depot. The number of waiting stations in 2016 was 40.

The government has allocated Dh15 million for new transportation projects in 2018, he added.
According to Omair, in 2017, the APTC transported 2.2 million residents - an increase of 26 per cent as compared to 2016. "The development projects have contributed a great deal in strengthening the public transport sector in the emirate," he added.

Omair said one of the main objectives of the APTC is to reduce the number of vehicles on Ajman roads. "This will help reduce the rate of harmful emissions in the emirate."

All taxi companies operating in the emirate are required to allocate 20 per cent of their fleets to environmentally-friendly cabs. "There are plans to power all bus waiting stations by solar energy. We are currently conducting tests to purchase new electric passenger buses," Omair added.

afkarali@khaleejtimes.com