Air-conditioned bus shelters launched in Abu Dhabi - Gulf News

Abu Dhabi: Air-conditioned bus shelters made their debut in the capital after they were launched by transport officials.
Twenty new shelters were commissioned on Wednesday and will provide a convenient way for the public to wait for buses, especially in the summer.
These are the first batch of shelters planned across the city. The emirate plans to have 550 similar shelters, said Saeed Al Hameli, general manager of the Bus Office at the Department of Transport (DoT).

"The opening of the 20 air-conditioned bus shelters are part of... phase one of the project. By [the] end of September, we hope to deliver 80 shelters more.

"The project comprises six phases, at the end of which the Abu Dhabi emirate would have 550 of these new shelters," Al Hameli said.

"The cost of putting up the 550 shelters is about Dh100 million. We hope to complete the project by the first quarter of 2011," he added.

The completed shelters are located on Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum street, Old Airport Road, Al Dhafra Base, Hadbat Al Zafaran, Al Reehan, and Zayed Sport City.

The bus shelters maintain comfortable temperatures between 22 and 24 degrees Celsius for commuters.

They are designed to provide seating for eight people and have an electronic bus ticketing system.

There is also room for one wheelchair user and at eight standing people.

At least 115 buses are currently in service, with 50 more buses set to arrive by end of next month. Up to 65,000 people use Abu Dhabi city buses daily.

Some 500 city buses and coaches will in service by end of 2009, and 80 new air-conditioned bus shelters by end of September.

Some 550 air-conditioned bus shelters planned by 2011. The renovation of 12 bus stations and development of 25 new bus stations are ongoing.

Six bus depots being created. n Contact toll free number 800 55555 for all route information About the shelter Specific design features include: Double-layer insulated aluminium composite rear panels, roof made of 15mm thick aluminium honeycomb panels and special heat protective glazing, and installed air-conditioning units to maintain temperatures of 22C during mornings and evenings.