Tecom to start private bus service

Agreement with RTA the largest yet in a series of deals aimed at removing private vehicles from Dubai's congested roads.

DUBAI // The company that operates Dubai Internet City, Media City and Knowledge Village will launch a private bus service as part of a scheme to get thousands of cars off Dubai's congested roads. Under an agreement Tecom Investments signed with the Roads and Transport Authority on Friday, the company will offer bus rides to and from work to its employees in the free zones. It has not been decided whether Tecom will charge for the service, or whether it will be available to the thousands of workers at hundreds of other companies in the zones.

An RTA plan encourages companies to organise alternatives to commuting by car for workers. Previous deals such as the Tecom agreement were on a much smaller scale. Peyman Younes Parham, a spokesman for the RTA, said the memorandum of understanding was a "step in the right direction" to curb congestion in Dubai. "The average number of people per car in Dubai is 1.6 so if a bus takes 60 people to work, then around 40 cars would be removed from Dubai's roads, which is fantastic. It will make a major difference."

He said Tecom would probably initially purchase between five and 10 buses. The RTA will then help draw up routes to allow Tecom to bus in as many employees as possible from different parts of the city. "For example, a bus starting in Mirdiff could also collect employees at designated pickup points in Rashidya and Garhoud and somewhere else in that area along the way." If the Tecom scheme is deemed a success it could be widened to include thousands more employees of the company and its affiliates. Tecom is part of Dubai Holding, the investment arm of the Dubai Government, and, besides the three free zones, operates investment companies in the IT and telecommunications sector.

The Tecom partnership follows similar agreements between that RTA and Emirates Airline, Zayed University, Standard Chartered Bank, Cargo Village, Emaar Properties, Al Baraha Hospital, the Bustan Rotana Hotel and the Burjuman Centre. The RTA operates a similar bus service for its own employees that includes free internet access and breakfast on board. Employees clock in when boarding the vehicle, meaning the commute does not cut into their free time.

Essa al Dosari, the chief executive of the RTA's public transport agency, said the authority and Tecom would also encourage more carpooling, presumably for employees who live in areas that the new bus service may not reach, as well as try to get those already carpooling to take on more passengers. They would, he said, "work together on minimising single occupancy vehicles used by employees in travelling to their workplaces through fostering the practice of carpooling in their daily shuttle from and to their workplaces".

As of last summer, people working at the same organisation and wishing to share lifts have been able to register for a carpooling licence from the RTA. After applicants have entered their personal details and information about the vehicles, the authority conducts background checks on colleagues before issuing a letter of approval. Registration is compulsory. [e-mail]