AC bus shelters for Dubai commuters

Some 400 air conditioned (AC) bus shelters are to be constructed in Dubai.

The stands are designed to make the time spent waiting for a bus much more enjoyable, especially during the summer months when temperatures can reach as high as 49 degrees C.

This is obviously very warm and means commuters find the whole experience to be uncomfortable due to the lack of protection they can expect at the current shelters.

However, Emirates 24/7 has revealed this is all going to change as the Road and Transport Authority (RTA) will soon develop 400 locations as part of the second phase of the project, which will eventually see AC installed at every bus stop.

Mohammed Al Ali, director of bus at the RTA, said: 'We will build 1,200 new bus shelters and this will be done in three phases. Currently, we are looking at the installment of the first 400 bus shelters.'

It is part of the RTA's ongoing attempts to encourage more Dubai residents to use public transport instead of cars - motorway traffic is a big problem in the emirate as so many people prefer this type of commute.

According to the RTA, the project is going to be 'carried out in partnership with the private sector based on the build, operate and transfer mechanism', which means the process will be open to bidders very soon.

Specific criteria has been drawn up to make sure the 400 AC bus shelters are in the right locations. Among the measures taken into consideration are how busy the bus stop is, how many routes it serves and what investment opportunities exist nearby.

Investors in the project will be given advertisement space on the shelters' facades, which provides them with an incentive to take part.