USE PUBLIC TRANSPORT, IT’S WAY CHEAPER, SAY RESIDENTS

Residents in Dubai have proven that it’s way cheaper to use public transport to get around Dubai than to use a car. Commuters who ride the Metro, trams, buses and abras just have to pay their fares and that’s it — no need to worry about petrol, Salik, parking, maintenance and cleaning.

Anne Celestial, who lives in Al Barsha and works in Bur Dubai, spends only Dh230 per month for her daily commute. She got an unlimited Nol car valid for two zones. She takes the Metro at the Mall of the Emirates station and gets off at Bur-Juman, where she hops on a feeder bus — for free — to her workplace in Bur Dubai.

If she drives a car to work, she will spend at least Dh160 in Salik fees alone (Dh4 per pass at the toll gate, multiplied twice per day and five times per week, equivalent to Dh160 a month). On top of that, she has to spend at least Dh100 every week for petrol. Exclude the cost for maintaining a car, and she she has to allot at least Dh560 every month for transportation, 2.5 times higher than what she is currently spending. This is the reason more people are now conveniently using public transportation in Dubai.

According to the RTA, over 1.5 million people use public transport in Dubai on an average daily. The number of passengers reached 277.9 million in the first six months of the year, up from 275.2 million in the same period last year. The RTA noted this “healthy growth means public transport is the first choice for mobility in Dubai”.