The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) on Saturday launched a regular bus service linking Dubai Industrial City, a member of Tatweer and the leading industrial destination, with the rest of the emirate.

Eissa Al Dossary, chief executive officer for the Public Transportation Agency at the RTA, said the daily service (route number F-53), will operate from 5am until midnight, directly linking Dubai Industrial City with the rest of Dubai.

The buses, arriving in 60-minute intervals, currently travel between Dubai Industrial City and Ibn Batutta Mall on Sheikh Zayed Road with 29 stops in between, Al Dossary explained.

'The agency is dedicated to expanding its network of bus service to areas across Dubai to meet the needs of urban development and population growth across the Emirate,' he noted.

'The RTA offers modern and well equipped buses that respond to the needs of the public with special areas inside each bus dedicated to people with special needs, women and children,' he added.

Rashed Al Ansari, vice-president of Dubai Industrial City, described it as another milestone in the development of public services for its project.

'We have thousands of residents in our labour villages and employed across the destination and their numbers are growing. The RTA has taken a timely step to operate a dedicated bus service following an increased demand for public transportation to and from the industrial township,' he noted.

“The new RTA bus service will eventually serve various locations across Dubai Industrial City including warehouses, and offices to accommodate the increasing number of manufacturing facilities that are currently being built across the city,” Rashed noted.

Al Dossary pointed out that the agency has set up a series of plans and objectives to expand and develop its bus network as it plays a vital role in public transport system in Dubai.

'The RTA is working to increase the number of trips conducted by public transport buses by 30 per cent by the year 2020,' he said.

The new bus route is in response to the growing investor interest in Dubai Industrial City, effectively linking the industrial hub with other modes of transportation in the Emirate, and enabling the seamless movement of men and material.

The establishment of Dubai Industrial Academy and complementary logistic facilities, including warehouses, open storage yards, showrooms, transPARK and Taasees government services, have further contributed to the increasing number of people visiting the township.

The 560 million sq ft Dubai Industrial City is a comprehensive one stop industrial and commercial destination.

Facilities currently offered at Dubai Industrial City include 2.8 million sq. ft of open storage yards, three million sq ft of warehouses in addition to 64 showrooms, transPARK end-to-end logistics solutions, training programmes by Dubai Industrial Academy, as well as four office buildings that are fully operational.

The dedicated industrial destination is comprised of six industrial clusters including food and beverage, base metal, mineral products, chemicals, transport equipment and parts, as well as machinery and mechanical equipment.-TradeArabia News Service