Dubai looking to modernise its waterbusses

The Marine Transport Agency at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai (UAE) has received a delegation from the Dutch’s Damen Shipyards.

A number of important issues were discussed during the meeting, including the prospects for cooperation between the marine Agency and the shipyard. As a result, Damen has been invited to participate in the international tender that the Marine Agency will put up for ship and boat building. The meeting also discussed the possibility of opening a branch for the company in Dubai to construct the boats locally, which reduces the cost and speeds up manufacturing.

RTA has recently adopted the designs of the air-conditioned boats of the ?Waterbus? to operate a two-way circular route to cover four stops: Al Sabkha, Old Deira Souq, Old Dubai Souq and Bur Dubai. The entire trip including stoppage, boarding and alighting time takes around 30 minutes. A survey shows that the number of commuters expected to be transported over the first year is over 2 million and that the number of the “Waterbuses” required was 10 units which can transport over 5 million commuters a year.