108 million passengers used Dubai's buses in 2012

A staggering 108 million passengers utilised Dubai's fantastic bus network in 2012, new figures released by the Road Transport Authority (RTA) have confirmed.The public transport service now covers 85 per cent of the emirate's urban areas and runs along a total of 88 different routes.With more and more people moving to Dubai on a permanent basis, it is vital that the city centre is as accessible as possible.Crucially, the bus network is very well linked to the Dubai Metro, which continues to expand rapidly.Ahmad Mohammad Al Hammadi, acting chief executive officer of the Public Transport Agency, hailed the punctuality and reliability of the city's public transport offerings.He added that nearly seven million people were transported to Sharjah from Sabkha, Union Square, Ghubaiba, Deira City Centre, Satwa and Karama stations in the last 12 months."These stations are integrated with the adjacent Metro stations or Metro stations' feeder bus services, in addition to the Green Line station at Ghubaiba bus station together with marine transit station," he remarked."Reasons that prompt the public to use public buses is the quality of buses provided by the RTA which are characterised by high-tech technologies in terms of durability, security, and the highest degree of comfort."The Public Transport Agency is constantly looking towards other countries to see how their buses and trains operate and this ensures that everything runs smoothly in Dubai.Last month, Emirates 24/7 asked members of the public what they thought of the proposed Metro expansion and the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.Most commuters were excited that the rail network would now provide links to parts of the city that are currently only accessible via car.Recent statistics have shown that Dubai's population is expanding on an annual basis and public transport will continue to play a vital role in reducing congestion on the emirate's busy roads.According to the RTA, the Dubai Metro will cover 421 km once all of the expansion work is complete in 2030.