From Marina Mall to Marina Walk in 12 minutes: Ride the water bus

The walk between Marina Mall and Marina Walk may take between 20-30 minutes, leading pedestrians over a twisting promenade. During the hot summer months the walk can become a trying experience.

A new water bus, running every 15 minutes between the two locations has been currently launched with the total travel time clocked 12 minutes and a fare of Dh2 for a single trip.

The service runs between 10am-10pm during the week and between 12am and 12pm on weekends, and is already carrying passengers.

"The water bus forms an addition to the water taxi and the water ferry. Traveling over waterways is better for the environment and has better safety standards than traveling by car. One water bus carries an equal amount of passengers as 20 cars," says Essa Abdul Rahman Al Dosari, CEO of Public Transport Agency, RTA.

"Dubai is a waterfront and people enjoy the travel over water. Apart from commuters we also target tourists, who can see Dubai very closely from the bus. It is a nice trip," he added.

Per year, water services transport around 300.000 passengers, and the opening of the water bus is expected to increase this number with 30 per cent.

"We currently see an occupancy rate of 20-30 per cent, but this is just the beginning. When we launched the ferry the occupancy rate was the same; now this transportation means sees an occupancy rate of 80 per cent," said Al Dossari.

The water bus carries a maximum of 36 passengers, and expected is that 500 passengers will utilise the service per day.

"It is also good for people who want to spend time at Marina Walk, but find it difficult to park their car. Parking is for free at Marina Mall. People can park their car here and take the water bus," said Baha Mohammed Al Qedrah, Director of Marina Transport.

With the launch of the water bus the total number of water stations in Dubai comes to 38. More stations are likely to be added to the water bus service in the near future. 

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