Nol cards mandatory in RTA inter-city buses now

The Automated Fare Collection System currently in place is applicable in all routes with the exception of Abu Dhabi to Dubai route.

The Public Transport Agency (PTA) of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has suspended the old traditional payment system via paper tickets for bus services and introduced the Unified Fare Collection System (Nol cards) in all inter-city bus services from and to Dubai except to Abu Dhabi.

The move applies to all routes except the Abu Dhabi-Dubai route pending further notice.

PTA records show that inter-city public buses make 900 trips daily through 12 routes connecting Dubai to other emirates, lifting more than 35,000 passengers. The seven routes connecting Dubai to Sharjah alone carry more than 17,000 passengers daily.

Adel Mohammad Shakeri, Director of Transportation Systems, RTA Public Transport Agency, said the success of the Automated Fare Collection System in city-buses within Dubai has promoted PTA to generalise this method of payment in all Inter-City bus trips from and to the emirate throughout the bus stations dotting Dubai emirate and other cities in the UAE.

“The RTA through issuing Nol cards has dispensed the paper tickets in paying public transport fares, which translates into the global concepts as conserving the environment through reducing wood consumption, the sole source of paper manufacturing,” Shakeri said.

Public bus trips bound to other emirates start from eight main stations in Ghubaiba, Ittihad, Satwa, Karama, Sabkha, Deira City Centre, Abu Hail and Ibn Battuta. They serve all routes and several other destinations such as Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, and Fujairah.

The Automated Fare Collection System currently in place is applicable in all routes with the exception of Abu Dhabi to Dubai route, where the paper ticket option is still in use, but will be suspended shortly, according to Shakri.

Nol is a hassle-free and multi-purpose method of payment, which can be used in Dubai public buses, inter-city buses, Dubai Metro, Dubai Water Buses and parking meters. The payment is made by tapping the card on the Nol reader, where the value of the required service is deducted instantly. RTA uses three types of Nol Cards which are Silver, Gold and Personal Cards. Nol Red Cards are unusable in inter-city service.

Nol Card has become a popular payment system considering that it is a unique method of payment in the region, and has ranked first as the best pre-paid e-card in the Middle East Award in the Middle East Smart Cards Awards Ceremony 2013.

Launched in September 2009, more than five million Nol cards have been issued, with more than one million transactions executed through the multi-purpose uses of the card.

Nol cards are available in multiple outlets in Dubai via ticket booths in bus stations and TVMs deployed in 81 bus stops. They can also be bought from Nol Card sale authorised dealers like Spinneys and Carrefour. Nol cards are also available online, and at RTA customer service centres.

lily@khaleejtimes.com