Dubai bus stops get real-time info screens

After giant touch screens made their introduction to the Dubai Metro stations earlier this year, various bus stations and shelters throughout the emirate have been upgraded with the latest technologies.

Information boards at busy bus stations are now being upgraded to the modern facility; a monitor displays live information about bus routes inside the bus shelters, which if all goes well is provided with the breeze of an air-conditioner.

Not all bus stations are covered at the moment. With nearly 2,000 bus stops spread around the emirate, the screens have been installed at 399 bus shelters and 90 bus stations.

In addition, the screens have been placed in shopping malls and places where passengers may find the information a useful addition, explains Adel Shakri, Director of Transportation Systems at the Road and Transport Authority (RTA).

“The screens provide information about the bus route, such as departure times, arrival times, and the destination of the route,” he says.

Other than the conventional information board, the monitor will inform travellers of delays, bus route changes, or cancellations.

“The idea is that we want travellers to be happy on their trip,” he adds.

In total, 640 smart screens have been installed along transportation routes in the emirate, with 89 screens installed at various metro stations. The metro screens are different, explains Adel. While the metro screens are large in size, have a touch screen and provide extensive information about the public transportation system in general, the screens at the bus stops are small in size and not interactive. https://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/coming-soon-giant-touch-screens-on-dubai-metro-stations-2014-01-23-1.535745

Lack of enough air-conditioned bus shelters and infrequent bus timings at certain locations are concern to many passengers.  But this is to change, says the RTA.

Earlier the authority announced its plan to systematically increase the coverage of bus shelters at all bus stops in the emirate, which entails the addition of 1,200 new bus shelters. These would be introduced in three phases, with 400 bus shelters to be built in each phases. However, a time frame of this project was not revealed. https://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/dubai-to-get-400-more-ac-bus-shelters-2014-01-27-1.536325

Further, passengers have repeatedly reported that in many existing bus shelters the air-conditioning is malfunctioning and temperatures are even higher inside than outside. In response, the RTA explained that this is due to faulty electrical lines, and it is communicating with the investors to solve the problem.

In the near future, bus stops in Dubai would be a modern facility with real time passenger information, air-conditioned shelters with accessibly for disabled passengers, ATM vending machines, bus ticket machines and other amenities, says the RTA.
 

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