ABU DHABI // A year after Abu Dhabi launched its park-and-ride service, the sprawling car park at Zayed Sports City remains highly underutilised.
The service encourages drivers to leave their cars and catch a free shuttle bus to various parts of the city centre.
On Monday, only four drivers used the service between 6am and 7am.
“In the morning, you’ll not find people using the service after 7am,” said a staff member at the ticket booth.
“Usually only nine to 10 park here and ride the DoT shuttle bus every day.”
Mohammed Yasin, 54, a resident of Bein Al Jesrain, has been taking advantage of the service for the past six months and convinced at least three of his colleagues to join him.
“I think they decided to drive straight to our office today because of the rain,” he said.
Rain, thunder and lightning in Dubai started in the early morning hours, and the National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology warned of heavy thunderstorms in Al Ruwais, scattered storms in the Northern Emirates, and light to moderate rain in many parts of Abu Dhabi.
The buses, which are equipped with Wi-Fi, run every 15 to 20 minutes from 6am to 9pm, Sunday to Thursday.
“It’s good but I’m surprised why only a few people are using it,” said Mr Yasin, a banker from Sudan who took the shuttle at 7.20am on Monday.
Route A travels directly to Abu Dhabi Municipality and calls at Gate 8 of the municipality office and near the Etisalat building on 9th Street.
“The shuttle bus is very convenient, efficient and punctual,” he said. “It drops me off near Etisalat and from there I walk to my office, which is located on Salam Street.”
Route B travels directly to Al Mamoura and its surroundings, including the area near the National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) building.
When the service began, commuter buses were routed through Al Safarat roundabout, Dhafeer Street, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street, Delma Street, Hamdan Street and the Corniche. The Department of Transport has since streamlined the service to allow for express buses. Public buses, however, are available to those who need to reach a specific location.
Commuters can pick up a free bus ticket and there is no charge for parking in one of the 600 spaces at Zayed Sports City.
Thirty cars, mostly SUVs, were parked in the area on Monday morning.
“Some bank employees have park-and-ride permits so they park their cars here at Zayed Sports City and then their company buses would take them to their offices,” the staff member said.
A banker, who did not wish to be named, showed a park-and-ride permit.
“I’ve been using the service after Ramadan,” said the banker, who lives in the outskirts of the city. “It’s very convenient as it takes me about five to 10 minutes to reach my office from Zayed Sports City.”
But more publicity is needed to raise awareness about the service and its benefits, Mr Yasin said.
The aim is to reduce traffic congestion, pollution, and demand for parking spaces in the city.
“I think most people do not know about it,” he said. “It was by chance that I got to learn about it when I saw the ‘park and ride’ signs on my way to work. I used to drive around our building for 20 minutes to half an hour in search of a parking spot.”
There should be more advertising to promote the service to residents of Baniyas, Mohammed bin Zayed City and Musaffah, he said.
The Department of Transport did not respond to requests for comment.
In August last year, the transport authority said they had been encouraging business operating in congested areas in the city to make use of the service, and they were focusing on areas with a high parking demand.
“We’ve had initiatives to encourage its use and we are already beginning to see an increase due to recent changes to the route and a more comprehensive media campaign,” a DoT spokesman said in August. He did not provide statistics on the number of users since its inception, however.
rruiz@thenational.ae
