Dubai public transport user numbers up, figures show

Date: 1/2/2010

The number of people using public transport in Dubai has risen significantly over the past year, it has been revealed.

According to the latest figures released by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority's Public Transport Agency, some 105 million passengers were carried on more than three million bus trips over the course of 2009.

At the same time, the 12-month period also saw 14 million passengers make use of inter-city bus trips in 15 different routes.

This total of 119 million represents an 11.2 per cent year-on-year increase in passenger numbers, the Public Transport Agency's chief executive Eisa Abdul-Rahman Al Dosari noted.

"The increase in public bus ridership is a good indicator of the growing culture of using public transport in the UAE," he said.

At the end of last month, Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority announced plans to invest a further $2.04 billion on a number of new projects, including the construction of new roads, over the course of 2010.