Drop in riders evading bus fares
dubai — Malpractices among public bus riders dropped during the last two months, according to an official at Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
According to Abdullah Al Mahri, director of transport activities monitoring at RTA’s Public Transport Agency (PTA), the field work teams of the PTA reported in January 878 violations of fare payment evasion compared to 1,248 violations in last January. If the violations were 1,107 this February, last year it was 1,159.
“The PTA reported a series of violations and malpractices such as fare payment evasion on the part of public bus riders during last year. Some of the offences relate to bus drivers as well as users of public bus facilities such as bus stations and air-conditioned shelters.”
“Through Rasid campaign, the PTA has spotted a series of offences and the most recurrent ones relate to entry/exist of paid zones without paying the applicable tariff, and eating/drinking in restricted areas. Campaigns are on the go to uproot these negative practices which undermine the image of the RTA and the emirate,” added Al Mahri.
A year-long ‘Rasid’ branded campaign intends to improve the quality of public transport services in Dubai to enhance the satisfaction and happiness of users. It also seeks to curb any practices harmful to the progress of this sector and at the same time uphold the high tourist profile of the emirate.
“The campaign was intensified twice last year. The first cycle lasted 19 days involving the participation of 58 inspectors who reported 5,693 offences, and the second continued for 23 days in which 36 inspectors took part and 8,813 offences were reported,” he said.
“The crackdown aimed to spot bad practices such as the evasion of the applicable fare of using public buses. The campaign also aimed at verifying the compliance of bus drivers with the rules, regulations and codes of conduct. It also aimed at monitoring the compliance of bus riders, commuters, and users of associated transport facilities and verifying the implementation of rules regarding the standards and stipulations of transporting passengers in Dubai.
“The ultimate purpose of the campaign is to report negative practices, be it by bus drivers, riders, or users of public transport facilities, and report the applicable offences in a bid to curb these practices,” added Al Mahri.
Al Mahri called on bus riders to pay the applicable fares through NOL cards in order to continue enjoying the use of these advanced and safe buses of the RTA. Such compliance, he noted, would support RTA’s efforts to deliver services befitting residents and visitors. —