Abu Dhabi's Department of Transport introduces air-conditioned bus shelters

Open to the public from today, the new shelters are the first in phase one which will deliver 80 by the end of September, with a total of 550 shelters operational across the emirate by 2011.

Today's opening represents a milestone in DoT's programme to decrease dependency on private vehicles and reduce road congestion by providing integrated high quality public transport services and passenger facilities, in line with Plan Abu Dhabi 2030.

Manufacturing of the first air-conditioned shelters began in April this year, with installation work starting in early June. The completed shelters serve nine routes around the city and are predominantly located in Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed al Maktoum Street, Old Airport Road, Al Dhafra Base, Hadbat Al Zafaran, Al Reehan, and Zayed Sport City.

The installation of the bus shelters is part of the implementation of the Surface Transport Master Plan (STMP) which has been developed to support Abu Dhabi's environmental, economic and cultural goals as outlined in Plan Abu Dhabi 2030. The STMP aims to encourage residents and visitors to use public transportation by providing a world-class sustainable and safe transport infrastructure that links Abu Dhabi to Dubai, the northern emirates and regional countries.

Saeed Al Hameli, General Manager of the Bus Office, Department of Transport, said:

"We aim to make public transport the first choice for travel in the emirate and today's opening of the first air-conditioned bus shelters marks a significant step forward. We believe this will not only increase current passenger satisfaction, but also persuade more people to consider taking the bus - meaning a greener, more sustainable and less congested Abu Dhabi for everyone."

Al Hameli added, "The bus shelters also represent an important step to implement the vision of H.H Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the accomplishment of Plan Abu Dhabi 2030."

Providing a timely escape from the summer heat, the bus shelters maintain a comfortable temperature of between 22-24oC for waiting passengers, and can sit eight people, plus one wheelchair user, with room for at least another eight people standing.

The DoT has designed and manufactured the shelters in a style that reflects Abu Dhabi's status as modern global capital and is in keeping with the cultural architecture of the city. The shelters are also designed to withstand the extreme UAE weather conditions. They include disabled access and seating and an electronic bus ticketing system, and other features include information panels to provide passengers of schedules, maps and estimated journey times as soon as these planned new systems become operational.