Do not misuse public transport vehicles
Reader is concerned that people are misusing public transport facilities
reader Harshith Belagur, a student based in Sharjah, raised a concern with the newspaper on the way people misuse public transport in the emirate of Dubai.
He said: “I thank the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and commend their efforts in providing transport facilities for the residents of Dubai. But unfortunately, some residents continue to misuse public transport. A few days ago, I used the Dubai Tram and a bus operated by the RTA and was surprised to find a lot of commuters not paying for the service used.”
Belagur is also concerned about people littering on the modes of public transport.
He said: “Commuters should follow rules and regulations, which also include not eating and drinking in public transport and sitting in undesignated areas. The RTA is spending more and more money on improving the public transport system, and I believe something like littering would hamper the quality of service provided by the concerned authorities. I request every commuter to appreciate the authorities for their efforts.”
Users of public transport in Dubai may be slapped with fines ranging from Dh100 to Dh500 in case they violate any rules.
A Gulf News report published last month stated that the RTA inspectors would penalise passengers for swiping their Nol cards early, or not doing so at all. It takes 400 engineering and technical staff and 200 cleaners to keep the Metro trains tidy and operational every day. All the trains are cleaned every day and washed once every three days in automatic washing bays. Additionally, every train is thoroughly inspected every three days. Most of the maintenance, cleaning and inspection is done between midnight and 4am.
Trams are washed twice a week on average, using 15 cubic metres of water per wash, with 70 per cent of it recycled. To ensure that the various forms of public transport are clean, RTA has implemented fines for eating and drinking in public transport vehicles and at bust stops.