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HE Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced that RTA had started the construction of 48 air-conditioned shelters for public bus riders at several residential and newly developed areas in Dubai. He also unveiled that RTAwould shortly construct 10 other air-conditioned bus shelters as planned by Public Transport Agency, which would bring the total number of the air-conditioned shelters in Dubai to 884 shelters.
Al Tayer also announced that work had started on the construction of a model for two shelters powered by solar energy on a trial base as a solution for shelters in locations off the electric power grid. Solar power generated would be used to operate lights, air-conditioners and billboards.
“The Air-Conditioned Bus Shelters Project is part of RTA’s continuous efforts to enhance excellence and leadership drive through undertaking flagship projects in Dubai. It is also part of a master plan for improving public transport, and providing smooth services to bus riders, especially during the blazing summer.
“Through the project, RTA aims to encourage community members to use mass transit means with the aim of boosting the share of public transport users’ contribution in Dubai mobility traffic from 20% in 2020 to 30% by 2030. Bus shelters in Dubai are used by 1.208 million riders every month, and customers’ surveys indicate that air-conditioned shelters have a very high customer satisfaction rate,” added Al Tayer.
RTA has recently embarked on the construction of 48 shelters in several development areas covering Dubai Investment Park (9 shelters), Dubai Academic City – Aviation College (2 shelters), and Higher Colleges of Technology (1 shelter). Other shelters are located in Dubai Industrial City, Dubai Internet City, and JLT.
Over the next few months, RTA will start the construction of 10 other air-conditioned shelters in different parts of Dubai as per the scale of demand of public transport users. These crescent-shaped shelters are of high quality and will have a painting resistant to heat, humidity and dust. Each shelter will have eight seats designed to ensure the comfort of users and can accommodate 13 to 16 people. The design also caters to the needs of People of Determination.
RTA had previously constructed 100 smart shelters in 15 districts of Dubai. Those shelters offer a range of services to users such as the selling & recharging of nol cards, topping-up mobile phones, and payment of bills of government and private entities in the UAE and abroad. They are also fitted with interactive screens that can be used for advertising and promotion purposes, and screens displaying information about RTA’s services.
Solar-Powered Shelters
The Solar-Powered Shelters Projects is an environmental-friendly option for shelters located in places with no electric power supply. Through the solar power panels, it will be possible to power the air-conditioners, lighting and billboards at the shelter. The project aims to address complaints of riders from the lack of shelters in certain locations, and encourage the use of mass transit means.
These shelters have a robust aluminium structure resistant to extreme weather conditions. Seats are manufactured of durable materials with minimal heat-absorption for the convenience of users. The sun-proof sheets are made of glazed material with a design geometrically engineered to protect the penetration of sunlight as much as possible to waiting passengers. The solar panels are also made of high-quality materials distributed to ensure maximum exposure to sunlight and transform it into electrical power.
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