What's Happening with Dubai Bus Service?
I believe it was a couple of years ago that a major UAE newspaper had an article about the Dubai bus service, stating that all the busses were running on time, and the quality of service was excellent.
Yesterday, the same newspaper had an article about the Dubai bus service stating that it was unacceptable, forcing everyone (well, everyone except Dubai@Random) to buy a car.
When the article came out two years ago lauding the Dubai bus service, I was a bit sceptical, since the service had many deficiencies, including the fact that, on some routes, the bus never stopped along the route, being filled beyond capacity at initiation, and dropping too few passengers off before the terminus to allow the driver to stop and admit any additional passengers. But it was better then than it is now.
What is surprising is that the newspaper was allowed to print a critical article. Most articles about anything in the UAE are government press releases. I've been told that the newspaper is allowed to edit the original English translation from the Arabic if the English leaves something to be desired, but the final result remains that nothing that any UAE government agency does is in any way short of perfection.
So this means that someone inside the government is trying to raise awareness of the problems with the Dubai bus service, and wants the newspapers to help raise this awareness.
Which may mean that public transport in Dubai is scheduled for a major improvement.
But I remain more in hope than expectation.
Yesterday, the same newspaper had an article about the Dubai bus service stating that it was unacceptable, forcing everyone (well, everyone except Dubai@Random) to buy a car.
When the article came out two years ago lauding the Dubai bus service, I was a bit sceptical, since the service had many deficiencies, including the fact that, on some routes, the bus never stopped along the route, being filled beyond capacity at initiation, and dropping too few passengers off before the terminus to allow the driver to stop and admit any additional passengers. But it was better then than it is now.
What is surprising is that the newspaper was allowed to print a critical article. Most articles about anything in the UAE are government press releases. I've been told that the newspaper is allowed to edit the original English translation from the Arabic if the English leaves something to be desired, but the final result remains that nothing that any UAE government agency does is in any way short of perfection.
So this means that someone inside the government is trying to raise awareness of the problems with the Dubai bus service, and wants the newspapers to help raise this awareness.
Which may mean that public transport in Dubai is scheduled for a major improvement.
But I remain more in hope than expectation.
posted by Dubai@Random at 7:22 pm
3 Comments:
I saw that article too, and wondered the same as you.
Maybe GN is about to get a rap over the knuckles for it!
Most articles about anything in the UAE are government press releases.
I have to disagree with you - there are plenty of official press releases of course, from government and business, but there's also an increasing amount of criticism. I'm seeing it regularly in stories like the bus system fiasco, today's criticism of the RTA and also in editorials.
There are places in Dubai where you wouldn't want to be without a car. In the summer months, it's a matter of 'if tbe bus won't stop for you, death will'. trust me... I've been sitting / sometimes standing in wait for 2-3 hours for a bus willing to admit additional commuters - every single day... Could anyone imagine spending that long under the scorching heat of the sun during the afternoon.
Bus drivers just doesn't help with the problem, they seem to remain oblivious of the remaining space inside the bus and just can't be bothered checking if they can still take in any more passengers along the succeeding bus stops even if all the standing passengers flock to the front end of the bus and leave the rear portion empty.
This tremendously affects the ongoing problem with the traffic. As you said, people would rather be thinking of getting their own car and add to the population on the road than settle with public transport and snobbing cabbies.
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