Using public transport can help you win Dh50,000
dubai — Two of the most frequent riders of public transport in Dubai will win Dh50,000 each as part of the Public Transport Day (PTD) taking place on November 1.
“Events of this year’s PTD would be unique in style and rich as well,” said Abdullah Yousef Al Ali, CEO of Roads and Transport Authority’s (RTA) public transport agency and head of PTD committee. “The RTA has set aside a sum of Dh100,000 for two winners of Dh50,000 apiece.
“The two winners will be selected from a pool of the most frequent riders of public transport means.”
The RTA recently released an advertisement in newspapers calling holders of blue Nol cards to register their personalised card to get a chance to enter in the raffle draw.
Aside from offering a handsome prize, this year’s edition of PTD will also feature a team competition called ‘Scavenger Hunt’ where 20 teams, comprised of three to five members, will be selected (see box).
Al Ali explained: “Teams will start off, for example, from Mall of the Emirates station. Each team will decide on the use of a suitable means of transport (Metro or bus), as per the strategy charted out by team members taking into consideration points and time factors. Contestants should use seven starting points for starting their journeys, namely: Burjuman M/S, Mall of the Emirates M/S, JBR Tram Station, Dubai Marina Water Taxi Station, Al Ghubaiba Water Taxi Station, Al Ghubaiba Bus Station, and Ibn Battuta Bus Station.”
Three winning teams will be named and rewarded on November 1 at The Dubai Mall’s ice rink, where other fun contests will take place, such as three-a-side football match.
“There will also be educational and wall climbing contests among others and freebies will be distributed to the public present at site,” added Al Ali.
According to Al Ali, the PTD initiative is aimed at “displaying the role of the emirate in supporting efforts towards improving the environment, achieving sustainable development, encouraging residents to use mass transit means, and improving ridership levels”.
“This requires raising the awareness of users about the benefits of public transport, and highlighting the RTA’s modern mass transit means including the Metro, buses and marine transit modes. The event is also intended to step up the integration of mass transit modes, and boost the pioneering role of Dubai in general and the RTA in particular in raising the profile of public transport means,” Al Ali underlined.
Easing traffic congestion by getting more vehicles off the streets is the main objective of the PTD.
Phil Clarke, principal consultant at the Transport Research Laboratory, a private think-tank company, told Khaleej Times that according to some studies, the annual cost arising from congestion in Dubai may exceed Dh4.6 billion.