The Director of the Department of Planning and Business Development at the Public Transport Agency at the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai, Adel Shakeri, said: "The Authority has decided to start the service of the Bus on Demand before the end of this year. Its importance in increasing the number of passengers of public transport and development of the transport sector in the emirate ».
The agency has started the beginning of last year, the pilot operation of the service, which relies on the request of the client bus through a smart application, to come to the nearest point to the location of his residence, or the place in it, in areas that do not have regular lines for bus transport, Or lack of high demand for bus service.
The smart passenger response system for public transport relies on the idea of connecting some areas to the main transport lines and the main transport network through small public buses, which can be ordered through smart application that allows customers to determine their route from the starting point to the point of arrival, Mobility Tariff.
"The expected service operation over the next few months will be in five critical areas, which will be finalized and announced by the end of this year and initially identified to include Al Barsha, Walgreens, Dubai Media City and Jumeirah Lakes Towers," said Shakri. .
Shakeri pointed out that the service received a wide response by users of mass transit during the period of pilot operation which included the areas of Mirdif and Al Barsha and the Dubai Media City area. He expected that the actual operation in the five candidate areas will be very popular, especially that the bus will pass by Metro station and tram station, Is an integral part of the public transport network and makes it easy for passengers to travel to their destinations quickly and safely.
Responding to a question about why these areas were chosen specifically, Shakri explained that "the concentration of people in these areas is based on the use of technical systems in the booking of transportation. Information analysis data showed that a high percentage of the population in these areas relies on electronic booking and smart applications , Which will make it easier for them to use the service (bus on demand) ».
He added that «the reasons, which is also determined in light of the operating areas of the service study the nature of some areas, which find ordinary buses difficult to enter because they have narrow streets, and the operating costs are high in areas that do not have a high proportion of passengers, because the financial return does not cover the cost Operation, which makes (buses on demand) an economical means of transport in those areas, and appropriate connection with the regular bus lines and other means of mass transport ».
The RTA conducted questionnaires during the trial period of the service to determine the efficiency of the service in terms of passenger access, the duration of the response and the time required for the journey to the destination location.