Clearing the air over public transport

The state of air-conditioned bus shelters is only one challenge for transport authorities.

Passengers wait outside a bus shelter with malfunctioning air conditioning in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Ravindranath K / The National

One of the biggest impediments to the use of public transport in the UAE is that for much of the year catching a bus requires waiting in the sweltering heat. In December 2012, the Abu Dhabi department of transport (DoT) moved to tackle this by announcing the construction of 360 air-conditioned bus shelters across the emirate, to be open by the start of this year. Sadly, as an investigation by The National has discovered, many of these new shelters have already fallen into disrepair.

Among the problems were broken or switched-off air-con units, malfunctioning doors that allowed the cool air to escape, and litter inside the shelters. Interviews with regular commuters revealed that some people were waiting for up to 30 minutes for a bus to arrive.

The condition of these shelters raises the larger question of what commuters should expect from an efficient public-transport network. The authorities are well aware of the challenges. Last week, Saeed Al Hameli, acting director of organisation at the DoT and newly elected vice chairman of the International Association of Public Transport, called for a reduction on the reliance on cars and easier access to bus services. He also suggested that young people be encouraged to hold off on buying a car, and they should opt instead to car pool or use the expanding bicycle track network.

But people will only switch to public transport if it is affordable and convenient. As well as upgrading the shelters, the DoT could look at more regular bus services when and where they are needed, flexible scheduling based on changing demand, and new routes that incorporate popular destinations. There should also be better coordination between bus services – as well as the future rail, light rail and metro networks – to allow passengers to get to their final destination with a minimum of disruption.

Here, the example of Helsinki may be instructive. This month, authorities in the Finnish capital revealed plans to launch a “mobility on demand” system by 2025, where a single smartphone app would allow ­users to map out, connect with and pay for connections to any destination they like, using buses, ferries, taxis, bicycles and even driverless cars. The aim is to make private vehicles virtually obsolete. It’s unlikely that we’ll ever see a car-free UAE, but it’s clear that something has to be done before gridlock brings our cities to a standstill.