Dubai gets 100 air-conditioned smart bus shelters

Dubai - The smart shelters provide an array of services for public bus riders

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has constructed 100 air-conditioned smart bus shelters as part of a Public Private Partnership (PPP). These shelters are present in more than 15 districts across the Emirate of Dubai. The first of these shelters was launched in February.
"The initial indicators had shown numerous results including an increase in the number of smart shelters users, compared to the normal air-conditioned bus shelters. The users expressed a great deal of satisfaction in a way that rose from (74%) to (91%) since the inauguration of the project earlier this year thanks to the smart shelters. The number of different transactions done in the smart bus marked (25) thousand transactions up to end of mid-2016," according to Abdullah Yousef Al Ali, CEO of Public Transport Agency, RTA.
"Constructing 100 air-conditioned smart shelters contributes to one of RTA's core goals i.e. People Happiness as they encourage the public to use mass transit means in Dubai and they contribute to transforming Dubai to the world's smartest city. The underlying objective of these smart shelters is to upgrade public transport facilities & services through transforming them into smart elements capable of maximizing the satisfaction & happiness of various community segments, especially public transport riders," added Al Ali. 
 "The smart shelters provide an array of services for public bus riders such as the Free WiFi UAE offered in collaboration with Du, selling & recharging of NOL cards, mobile phone top-ups, payment of government bills, recharging mobile phones, passenger information service, self-service kiosks, interactive media screens, monitors displaying information about RTA services, and the selling of refreshments and snacks."
"The RTA has charted out a timeline for constructing smart air-conditioned bus shelters distributed over 15 districts in Dubai namely the Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Wasl, Jumeirah, Deira, Umm Al Romool, Al Quoz, Al Rashidiya, Al Qusais, Al Awir, Al Nahda, Al Satwa, Al Karama, Al Ras, Al Garhoud and Al Jafiliya. This initiative is an integral part of an ongoing process for improving the infrastructure of these facilities and services in a spectacular and creative style to achieve multi-model integration with public transit means such as the metro and tram. Designated for waiting public bus riders, the smart air-conditioned bus shelters initiative is part of the Smart City initiatives called for by our prudent government," concluded Al Ali.
He reiterated RTA's unwavering commitment to provide state-of-the-art facilities for public transport users in the Emirate, and contribute effectively to realizing the objective of transforming Dubai into the smartest city in the world according to the Dubai Government plan.

• Dubai