Metro cards could also cover taxi fares - RTA

Dubai Metro passengers may be able to use their travel cards to pay for taxi fares, the RTA chairman said on Monday.

When announcing fares for Dubai Metro, Matter Al Tayer revealed that top up ‘Nol’ cards will cover travel on the system’s 52km red line from Jebel Ali to Rashidiya, land and water buses and parking fees.

He also hinted that the multi-use cards could be rolled out to taxi cabs, but gave no further details about when this might happen. “Maybe we will have taxis, but not now,” Al Tayer said.

Suggestions that a popular metro system could hit demand for taxis in Dubai prior to the multi-card system possibly including cabs were dismissed by transport expert Robert Ziegler.

The partner and vice president of consulting firm AT Kearney told Arabian Business that the RTA controls both Dubai taxis and the metro, making it unimportant where the returns come from.

“Whether the revenue comes in through the taxi or through the metro, it doesn’t make a difference,” Ziegler said. “The RTA has a strong interest in trying to reduce traffic on the streets, so if they can slot some of the traffic from taxis into the metro then that is the idea of having the metro in the first place.”

Ziegler added the RTA does not expect the metro to be profitable.

“They know the metro as a large infrastructure investment is not going to be something they will make a huge profit with. This is not a profit generating enterprise and I think someone from the RTA said that a couple months ago at a conference. He said this was an investment in the infrastructure of Dubai, therefore there is no short-term business case. There is a long term business case in trying to get traffic into public transport and making Dubai a more liveable place.”

The Metro system in Dubai will be split into five zones, with park and ride facilities available to the stations free of charge.

Fares range from AED2.50 to AED6.50 for standard single trip tickets, while No1 card holders will be charged AED1.80 to AED5.80 when travelling between 3km and longer distances through three zones.

Al Tayer said passengers with Nol cards will not incur additional charges for using different transport modes during one journey. However, the RTA will introduce time limits giving someone who wants to use the metro and then travel on a bus, for example, 30 minutes transfer time before having to pay another fare.

The 23.9km green line, starting in Al Qusais, running around Dubai creek and stretching to Jedaff, is due to come on line in March 2010.

READERS' COMMENTS

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM