The public transport means of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) have lifted 531.350 million riders in 2014 compared to 440.672 million riders in 2013.
The average daily ridership of public transport means in Dubai which includes the Metro, tram, buses and marine transit modes (abras, ferry, water taxi, water bus) in addition to taxis clocked about 1.4 million, which compares well with the average of 1.3 million riders recorded in 2013, said a report in WAM.
"The public transport network in Dubai, which is almost complete in terms of modes with the launch of the Dubai Tram on November 11, 2014, has become a key element in the mobility of people in various parts of Dubai. RTA’s efforts in this regard has contributed to the rising numbers of public transport means riders across the board,'' the report quoted Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of the Board and executive director of RTA as saying.
The share of public transport in the mobility of people has leapfrogged from 6 per cent in 2006 to 14 per cent in 2014 and the RTA is endeavouring to push it to as much as 20 per cent by 2020, he said.
The RTA has ambitious future plans for upgrading roads infrastructure as well as the composition and efficiency of public transport system, and delivering smart services to the public. There are more than 35 mega projects in hand highlighted by the designing and undertaking public transport means for the hosting of Expo 2020, including the extension of the Red Line of the Dubai Metro, upgrading roads and junctions leading to the site of Expo, and procuring new trains to keep up with the sustained growth in the number of metro users in the lead up to 2020 such that passengers can have better services, the report said.
The RTA chief added that the transport authority is also planning to broaden the coverage of bus network to reach 16 new areas, improve services in 19 areas by 2020, and uplift the water transport means which is anticipated to experience huge growth with the launch of the Dubai Water Canal linking the Business Bay with the Arabian Gulf.
