DUBAI // Five new bus routes will begin operation on Friday to meet rising demand for public transport in Dubai.<br/>Four existing routes have also had stops added to conclude at new bus stations, the Roads and Transport Agency (RTA) said yesterday. The new bus routes include route 84, which starts at Al Khail Gate in Al Quoz, passes through the city’s art district and terminates at Mina Seyahi. The route makes stops at Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Marina’s The Walk along the way. Route 366 connects Rashidiya Metro station with the relatively isolated yet popular Silicon Oasis residential development. Route F12 is a Dubai Metro feeder service, which runs from Jafiliya station through Satwa to the popular Al Wasl Park, which did not previously have a connection to the Metro. The fourth is Route 21, which connects Zuleikha Hospital to Al Ahli Club. The final new route is E307A, which will take passengers from Abu Hail Metro Station to Sharjah. The route changes include a new stop at Al Nadha Park on route 22 and a stop on Doha Road on route 13A. Both Route 365 from Rashidiya Metro station and the F3 feeder service will make stops at Al Ittihad Mall via Al Khawaneej Road. “The RTA keenly attends to suggestions and feedback from all community segments with regards to the widening of our public transport network,” said Eisa Al Hashimi, the acting director of Planning and Business Development at the RTA’s Public Transport Agency. He said the new routes were devised after suggestions from the community and the completion of internal studies. “We are always keen on broadening the reach of the bus network within the emirate of Dubai as well as the Inter-City bus network, and frequently conduct studies and field surveys to identify the mobility needs of mass transit users in Dubai to meet them at the earliest time possible,” said Mr Al Hashimi.
