The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) urged community members in Dubai to use various mass transit means, including the metro, tram, and public buses as well as marine transit modes (such as the water bus & water taxi) on Public Transport Day, corresponding to the first of November each year.“Events of this year’s Public Transport Day would be unique in style & rich as well. The RTA has set aside a sum AED100,000 for two winners; AED50,000 apiece. The two winners will be selected from a pool of the most frequent riders of public transport means,” said Abdullah Yousef Al Ali, CEO of Public Transport Agency and Head of Public Transport Day Committee at the RTA.
“The current edition of the event will also feature a contest named: the ‘Scavenger Hunt.’ Here, 20 teams of RTA public transport users will be selected, each team comprising 3-5 individuals. To participate in the contest, each team has to work out a strategy for amassing the largest number of points as quick as possible in order to rank among the winners. Three winning teams will be named and rewarded in Dubai Ice Rink of the Dubai Mall; where other fun contests will be run on the Public Transport Day. Participants have to take Selfies with the name of the station on the background.
“Teams will start off, for example, from Mall of the Emirates Station. Each team will decide on the use of a suitable means of transport (metro or bus), as per the strategy charted out by team members taking into consideration points & time factors. Contestants should use seven starting points for starting their journeys namely: Burjuman M/S, Mall of the Emirates M/S, JBR Tram Station, Dubai Marina Water Taxi Station, Al Ghubaiba Water Taxi Station, Al Ghubaiba Bus Station, and Ibn Battuta Bus Station.
“The Public Transport Day’s festivities this year will feature a diverse cast of recreational events at the Dubai Ice Rink, Dubai Mall. These include a football match between various teams each comprising three players. There will also be educational and wall climbing contests among others. Freebies will be distributed to the public present at site,” added Al Ali.
The Public Transport Day initiative aims at displaying the role of the Emirate in supporting efforts towards improving the environment, achieving sustainable development, encouraging residents to use mass transit means, and improving ridership levels. This requires raising the awareness of users about the benefits of public transport, and highlighting RTA’s modern mass transit means including the metro, buses and marine transit modes. The event is also intended to step up the integration of mass transit modes, and boost the pioneering role of the Dubai Emirate in general and the RTA in particular in raising the profile of public transport means,” concluded Al Ali.
At the sidelines of the Public Transport Day’s festivities, the RTA will honor 50 cabdrivers from franchise companies operating under the tutelage of the RTA. The event is part of RTA’s annual Taxi Excellence Award for selecting the best drivers & franchise companies who will be awarded also in the Ice Rink of Dubai Mall.
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