I INVEST MY TIME BETTER ON THE RIDE

Mustafa Subhani, Pakistani, Sharjah resident

Daily journey: From Sharjah’s Al Wahda Street to Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)

The Dubai Metro has been an excellent way to move around Dubai, but the toughest part is getting to the metro from another emirate. I live in Sharjah, so I take the bus to the Union Metro Station to get to anywhere I want to go in Dubai, which might be time-consuming, but so much cheaper. A trip back and forth will end up costing me as little as Dh20, which is why a lot of people, including myself, rely on the metro to get to work.

To get to work, I take the bus from home to the Union Metro Station and then use the metro to the DIFC Metro Station. I use the time mostly to read a book, make phone calls or arrange a planner for the rest of the day.

I recommend everyone to get a Nol card because it becomes easy to move around the city.

The best thing about the metro is that the trains come every 5 minutes so you don’t have to worry about missing one or being late, unless it is during the rush hour. Using public transport also takes away the pain of driving from Sharjah to Dubai in traffic and allows commuters to put their time in better use.

The feeling that I’m not adding harm to my environment while getting to work everyday motivates me further to keep using pubic transport. Looking at the number of vehicles in the UAE and thinking about the carbon emissions make me concerned about the environment. By using public transport, I save money and the environment.

Subhani’s journey

Cost per month: Dh660 Time (during peak hours): One hour and 30 minutes Non-peak hours: 50 minutes

A Car’s journey

Cost per month:

> salik toll gates: Dh352 (if the journey is through Sheikh Zayed Road)

> Average car loan: Dh1,000 a month

> Fuel consumption: Dh206

> Total (excluding car fines and insurance): Dh1,558

> Time (during peak hours): One hour and 20 minutes via Sheikh Zayed Road; one hour and 35 minutes via Mohamed bin Zayed Road

> non-peak hours: 17 minutes via Sheikh Zayed Road 30 minutes Via Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road