Hot and bothered passengers wait for a bus inside a shelter located on Muroor Road near the Madinat Zayed shopping mall and the Gold Centre in Abu Dhabi, just of the many shelters with a malfunctioning AC or defective automatic doors. Ravindranath K / The National
Hot and bothered passengers wait for a bus inside a shelter located on Muroor Road near the Madinat Zayed shopping mall and the Gold Centre in Abu Dhabi, just of the many shelters with a malfunctioninShow more

Lack of AC in Abu Dhabi bus shelters has commuters hot and bothered



ABU DHABI // Hundreds of bus passengers are sweltering in the searing heat because many of the shelters are lacking air conditioning, an exclusive investigation by The National has revealed.

Bus users wait in many of the 52 shelters in the capital’s Muroor Road and Airport Road, expecting to be protected from the hot weather.

But instead many are dripping with perspiration and feeling faint.

Last week, Abu Dhabi announced it was looking to embark on a public transport revolution, but it accepted that a major hurdle was convincing commuters that they need to change the way they think about it.

The passengers we spoke to, however, believe the Department of Transport has as a long way to go before it can convince potential commuters to leave thair cars at home and catch a bus.

Parvindar Singh was one such passenger. As he sat helplessly inside one of several air-conditioned bus shelters on Muroor Road, waiting to catch bus 110 to take him to Mussaffah, he said: "What's the use of an AC bus shelter when it's not even working?"

Instead of providing a cool refuge from the sweltering summer heat, he and seven others were working up a sweat inside the glass-walled structure.

The 43-year-old security supervisor from India, who has lived in the UAE for nine years, said that “we face the same problem every summer” and added that he was worried about women and children waiting in bus shelters that have fallen into disrepair.

“We are all suffering,” he said. “But I really feel bad for the woman in an abaya and a niqab.”

In December 2012, the DoT announced it would open 360 air-conditioned shelters in the emirate by the start of this year at a cost of Dh100 million.

The National checked on 31 air-conditioned shelters on both sides of Muroor Road during the week. Of these, 10 did not have working AC, and it had yet to be installed at three new bus shelters.

Checks on 21 bus shelters in Airport Road showed 12 had faulty AC units. Fifteen of the 52 in Muroor and Airport roads had defective sliding doors, two were locked, and water was dripping from the ceiling at four shelters.

Noor Salem, 31, from Kenya, who was wearing a black abaya and a scarf that covered her face except for her eyes, sat in apparent discomfort with three other women.

Each shelter is supposed to be temperature controlled at between 22°C and 24°C, and accommodate eight people seated, eight standing, and one in a wheelchair.

“Since the AC isn’t working why can’t they at least put a ceiling fan here?” Ms Salem said. “They need to build a bigger shelter, fix the AC and the defective doors.”

The problem of the automatic sliding doors being left open has been persistent for more than two years, passengers said.

Archie Espiritu, 41, a merchandiser from the Philippines, said authorities should check the compressors of the air-conditioners, and fix the shelter’s doors to keep the cold air in.

“Many of us are forced to stand outside and wait for 15 to 30 minutes for the bus,” he said.

Mohammed Faisal, a 24-year-old banker who works in personal finance, relies on buses, using them between five and six times a day to meet clients.

He has to endure a 15 to 20 minute wait in the heat near an old bus shelter in front of Liwa Centre on Hamdan Street.

“We definitely need more AC bus shelters in the city centre,” he said. “There should be more buses so we do not have to wait for a long time in this heat.”

Anand Kumar, 22, who works for a bank, agreed.

“All bus shelters in the city should be fully covered and with a working AC,” he said. “There should be extra buses on busy routes.” There are 650 buses on more than 95 routes in the emirate.

The DoT plans to open 360 AC shelters –160 in Abu Dhabi city and its suburbs, 80 in the Western Region, and 120 in Al Ain and its suburbs.

The project gives priority to hospitals, schools, shopping centres, labour camps and airports, followed by residential areas, parks, hotels, clinics and main roads, and industrial and far-flung areas.

The planned locations in Abu Dhabi city were Khalidiya, Al Falah, Tourist Club area, City Centre and Al Mushrif, while the areas in its suburbs were Al Raha Beach, Baniyas, Khalifa City A, Al Mafraq, Mussaffah, Al Samha, Yas Island and Abu Dhabi International Airport.

In the Western Region, the DoT said, AC bus shelters were to be built in Liwa, Al Ruwais, Al Sila, Delma Island, Bida Mutawa, Ghayathi and Jebel Dhanna.

In Al Ain city and it suburbs, shelters will be located in Al Foah, Al Mutaredh, Al Khatam, Al Jaheli, Al Ain Municipality, Al Jimi and Al Qattara.

Not everybody was complaing, however. Adolf Aranha Shenoy, 68, a businessman who has lived in the UAE for 35 years, said residents should be more appreciative of the Government’s bus services.

“All the facilities here are the best,” he said. “We should learn to appreciate the improvements made to this city over the years. People do not sit for a long time in a bus shelter. No one has time to sit inside one.”

Oliver Aguilar, 29, an aircraft technician, uses a working shelter on Airport Road across from Fathima Supermarket.

“We’re lucky that it’s cool,” he said. “But there are days when the AC is switched off.”

He and Jinendra Jayanath, 31, a clerk at Premium Motors, were the only passengers inside the shelter.

“It’s good that we’re sitting inside a bus shelter with a working AC,” he said. “But this has to be maintained at all times.”

The DoT did not respond to a request for comment.

rruiz@thenational.ae

SPECS

Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
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When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest

Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.

Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.

Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.

Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.

Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.

Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

RESULTS: 2018 WORLD CUP QUALIFYING - EUROPE

Albania 0 Italy 1
Finland 2 Turkey 2
Macedonia 4 Liechtenstein
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Israel 0 Spain 1
Moldova 0 Austria 1
Serbia 1 Georgia 0
Ukraine 0 Croatia 2
Wales 0 Ireland 1

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The Facility’s Versatility

Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
 
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
 
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
 
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
 
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
 
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket

The specs

Price, base / as tested Dh135,000

Engine 1.6L turbo

Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode

Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds

Top speed 420 kph (governed)

Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The low down on MPS

What is myofascial pain syndrome?

Myofascial pain syndrome refers to pain and inflammation in the body’s soft tissue. MPS is a chronic condition that affects the fascia (­connective tissue that covers the muscles, which develops knots, also known as trigger points).

What are trigger points?

Trigger points are irritable knots in the soft ­tissue that covers muscle tissue. Through injury or overuse, muscle fibres contract as a reactive and protective measure, creating tension in the form of hard and, palpable nodules. Overuse and ­sustained posture are the main culprits in developing ­trigger points.

What is myofascial or trigger-point release?

Releasing these nodules requires a hands-on technique that involves applying gentle ­sustained pressure to release muscular shortness and tightness. This eliminates restrictions in ­connective tissue in orderto restore motion and alleviate pain. ­Therapy balls have proven effective at causing enough commotion in the tissue, prompting the release of these hard knots.

The%20specs
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COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
J%20Street%20Polling%20Results
%3Cp%3E97%25%20of%20Jewish-Americans%20are%20concerned%20about%20the%20rise%20in%20anti-Semitism%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E76%25%20of%20US%20Jewish%20voters%20believe%20Donald%20Trump%20and%20his%20allies%20in%20the%20Republican%20Party%20are%20responsible%20for%20a%20rise%20in%20anti-Semitism%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E74%25%20of%20American%20Jews%20agreed%20that%20%E2%80%9CTrump%20and%20the%20Maga%20movement%20are%20a%20threat%20to%20Jews%20in%20America%22%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hoopla%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jacqueline%20Perrottet%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20required%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24500%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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'Brazen'

Director: Monika Mitchell

Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler

Rating: 3/5

The%C2%A0specs%20
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Hot%20Seat
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THE DETAILS

Director: Milan Jhaveri
Producer: Emmay Entertainment and T-Series
Cast: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee
Rating: 2/5

What is the definition of an SME?

SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.

A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors. 

The bio

Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.

Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.

Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.

Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.

Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode

Directors: Raj & DK

Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon

Rating: 4/5


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