DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: Residents and visitors to this expat city have lately been seeing big transformations as old bus stations are replaced with ones that are a lot newer, state-of-the-art and ahead of the times.
The latest is the Oud Metha Bus Station, which features ultra-modern design rendering it a model station, said Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in an announcement on June 26, 2021 released by Dubai Media Office.
It is integrated with the metro and taxi services as it is just 300 metres off Oud Metha Metro Station. The station offers a new concept in public transport services through integrated facilities like car parks, bike racks, office spaces, customer service areas, trading outlets and self-service kiosks.
“The construction of stations for public bus riders complements the efforts of RTA to upgrade public transport infrastructure and encourage people to use public transit means in their daily movement. The new station boasts of a state-of-the-art design that caters to the needs of sustainability and people of determination, yet coherent with the identity and shape of RTA’s stations,” said His Excellency Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority.
“The role of the new stations goes beyond the prevailing concept of commuting passengers to encompass the offering of integrated services to passengers such as car parks, bike racks and the integration with the metro and taxi services,” he added.
Spanning an area of 9,640 square metres, Oud Metha Bus Station is situated in a densely populated area neighboring Oud Metha Metro Station, schools, community clubs and business centers. The station is comprised of a ground floor, three identical floors and rooftop parking.
Its design is integrated with the public transport means in the area as it has designated spaces for bus stops, taxi stands and private vehicles parking. The average number of riders using the station is expected to reach 10,000 riders per day in future.
Oud Metha Bus Station has abundant facilities that include 9 operational parking slots for buses, 11 parking for out-of-service buses, 350 parking slots for vehicles, 23 bicycle racks, passenger pick-up and drop-off points.
It also includes parking for waiting and emergency buses, parking spaces for taxis, staff and visitors, furnished rest areas for the public, café and rest area for drivers, prayer rooms for males and females, staff offices, and public toilets.
The station has retail outlets and investment areas, with designated for Emirati start-ups in coordination with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development. It also has space for self-service kiosks and e-pay, nol card machines, bus information display screens, customers happiness’ index, ATMs, refreshments and snacks vending machines.
The station serves eight bus routes; seven of them serve public transport routes and the other one is a metro link. 40 buses are deployed on these routes, which link key places and areas in the city such as Dubai Mall, Al Qusais, Burjuman, Dubai Museum, International City, Wafi City, Al Seef, Business Bay, Al Nahda, Al Safa and Al Satwa.
Completed stations
RTA jhas opened four public bus stations namely Al Ghubaiba, Al Jaliyah, Etisalat and the Union Bus Stations. Al Ghubaiba Bus Station is comprised of six buildings and covers an area of 2,452 square metres with a capacity to serve 15,000 passengers per day.
Al Jaliyah Bus Station is comprised of a bus terminal and a building of a ground floor, two floors and rooftop parking. The station has a total built area of 19,000 square metres and can serve 7,000 passengers per day.
The Union Bus Station at Deira is comprised of three buildings. The station spans an area of 2,180 square metres and can serve 7,500 passengers per day.
Etisalat Bus Station, which is connected to Etisalat Metro Station, is comprised of a ground floor and a mezzanine floor. The station covers an area of 708 square metres and can serve up to 4,500 passengers per day.
