• Home
• /
• Transport

1.2 million passengers use Sharjah buses

The Sharjah Transport Corporation commuted around 1.2 million passengers in the first quarter of the year, said a senior official.

According to Rabaa Al Marzouqi, Head of the Public Transport Section, the 55 public buses had about 61,000 trips, covering nearly 1.1 million kilometres, over the first three months of the year.

“The number of trips is expected to significantly get higher upon the completion of the ongoing and future projects,” she said.

Bus Route No.88, which connects Rolla Square with Al Sagah area, topped the other 11 bus routes operative across the Sharjah city, with some 32,000 passengers using this route.

Meanwhile, thousands of people have used Sayer pre-paid e-card since its launch in June 2010. “The e-card service not only has eased payment process, but also saved time, effort, and even money — particularly with several discounts offered on the tariff,” she said.

Marzouqi explained that the e-card may be recharged with minimum Dh4.5 and up to Dh180. “Sales kiosks are available at Al Etihad and Al Jubail stations, and more sales stalls will be opened soon.”

Further, Rihlaty or ‘My Trip’ service, the first of its kind in the Middle East, is now available at all city bus routes whereby passengers may inquire about any of the 560 bus stops across the Sharjah city.

“To avail the service, commuters only need to send the number of both the bus stop and route in an SMS to 2272. An SMS will be sent back in seconds to the caller with information on the bus arrival timing,” Marzouqi said, adding that the public have so far sent around 28,000 text messages since the inception of the service in April 2011. The Sharjah Transport is now operating a fleet of 224 public buses on the 21 city and intercity routes.

ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com