Looks like they plan to have the blue line extension ready to go in 2029 mentioned in the embedded video not the article.
The plan is to have 55% of the population within 800 meters of public transportation stations by 2040.
A little bit old, but I always like to watch the video linked below: Youtube - Dubai Progress by MetroCucumber
The goal is pathetically low for a city of that size and means. London has a population of eight million, is of comparable size, and is covered by public transport.
I used to live in a small village of 500 people and we had complete bus coverage within 2-300 metres.
Dubai has the means to do much better, but creating and maintaining a well thought through bus network isn’t cool enough. If they actually cared they could have the entire place covered within a couple of years.
2040 my arsehole.
Sorry I stated that incorrectly, 800 meters to a public transport station. The bus picking you up to the stations does stop every few hundred meters at the different bus stops (from the parts that I have seen). There is also an app so you can follow the bus to your pick up spot so you don’t have to burn in the heat waiting during summer and only exit your building once they are close. I haven’t taken the RTA busses, but it works with the same card as the train, but I can’t say how good it is.
Also remember the London underground has more than a hundred years on this Metro system. It doesn’t cover nearly as much. I don’t know how much the RTA busses cover. I have never needed to go to the parts that the Metro doesn’t cover.
Yeah exactly. London is nearly 2000 years old, building anything there is a massive pain. Dubai is like a decade old, they ought to have planned the city with public transport in mind.
Tracking your bus with an app is old news. We’ve had that since 2010 here. I’d be more surprised if that wasn’t a thing. You can use public transport cards, but most people just use their phones to pay, like with everything else.
I’m guessing the remaining 50% that won’t be covered will be the povvo people they don’t want on the metro.
If I had to guess, the Dubai Master Plan from the 60s was probably car driven. They have to break down a lot of structures to create the metro, as well as the New Etihad Rail.
The comment about the app is more to explain the difficulties in using public transport in 50 degrees celsius if you had to wait at a bus stop.
I don’t know many rich people that take the train, so I don’t think it is specifically aimed for them. There is a first class cabin, but it is very small in my opinion.
The train does go through a lot of the richer areas yes. But I think that is mostly to get people to their places of work there.
If you are a solo traveller, the metro is a cheaper alternative to driving.
Unfortunately, here the transport card is still a must