762 umbrellas at public bus stations in Dubai by the end of the year

The Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai revealed that it is currently working on a number of future projects for the mass transportation sector, especially public buses, as part of the sector’s ongoing development plan to improve services that ultimately reflect on users, ensuring their comfort and happiness.

Director of the Business Planning and Development Department at the Public Transport Corporation of the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai, Adel Shakri, said that the Authority is currently working on a project to implement awnings at public bus stations to provide comfort for customers, spare them the heat of the sun, as well as provide a suitable and more comfortable environment for them, as it has been completed. Implementing 153 umbrellas by the end of 2024, as part of a major project to implement 762 umbrellas by the end of this year, distributed among various vital areas in the emirate, at a cost of 77 million. Dirham.

Shakri added to Emirates Today that the installation of the new canopies comes within the framework of the ongoing endeavor to develop the mass transportation sector, provide reliable integrated infrastructure, and achieve well-being and happiness for the residents and visitors of the Emirate of Dubai, by providing the best services and amenities for bus users.

He pointed out that bus shelters were classified into four levels, according to the number of users, which are: a main stop, with a usage rate of more than 750 passengers per day, a secondary stop with a use rate of between 250 and 750 passengers per day, and a primary stop with a use rate of between 100 and 250 passengers per day. And a passenger loading and unloading station, with a usage rate of less than 100 passengers per day.

He explained that the Authority took into account, in choosing the locations of the new shelters, the requirements of vital areas with high population density, the current and future operational needs of public transportation bus services, and achieving integration with the requirements of transportation via individual means.

He stated that implementation work has already begun in locations where infrastructure is available, to speed up the pace of work and implement the largest number of canopies to serve bus users, while work is currently underway to provide the necessary infrastructure and spaces, specifically in locations for air-conditioned canopies for passengers, in addition to providing Shaded outdoor areas and advertising spaces, and providing an information screen to review the map of the bus route network, its schedule, pickup time, and other information and services of interest to bus users.

Shakri confirmed that the canopies being implemented serve a large number of bus lines, some of which reach more than 10 lines per canopy, and the number of users of the new canopies when the project is completed is estimated at more than 182 million passengers annually.

According to the project, the design of the new canopies conforms to the Dubai Code for People of Determination, as designated places were provided for wheelchairs, in support of the “My Community… A Place for Everyone” initiative, while the canopies are distinguished by their modern and aesthetic design, and provide many services to achieve happiness for public transportation users.