Buses full of Eid travellers off to visit family and friends

Eid travellers board a bus at Dubai’s Deira bus station. Passenger volume was heavy throughout the UAE. Antonie Robertson / The National

DUBAI // Buses were in high demand on Monday with Eid travellers looking to spend the holidays with friends and relatives.

Hundreds of people, many carrying shopping bags filled with gifts, queued to buy tickets for bus services in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Sharjah from the Ghubaiba station at the start of the Eid break.

“I bought some sweets, perfume and scarves for my nieces and some toys for my nephews,” said gardener Ayan Rafi. “I have been waiting for these three days for a long time and I’m looking forward to spending some time with my family in Abu Dhabi.”

Others such as Nazim Ali, a fabricator with an aluminium company, arrived from Al Ain.

“I have so many family and friends in Dubai, so I never have to spend Eid alone, even if I’m far away from home,” he said. “We eat together, talk all day and night, so it feels like I’m back in Pakistan.”

Under a large umbrella, Bea Angelina watched for her friends from the Philippines. The group planned to take the Metro to Union bus station and then go to Fujairah to stay with a friend. “We made this plan last year and all of us have got leave so it is very exciting to go and celebrate Eid with friends.”

A Roads and Transport Authority official said queues started at 8am and were expected to grow throughout the day.

“We have extra staff because we know every Eid that lots of people come to buy bus tickets, so we must be prepared,” he said. “The sun has not stopping people from waiting. In the evening there will be a lot more people because it is cooler.”