DUBAI: A campaign to increase bus ridership in Dubai targets particularly the youth as the authorities eye attaining 8.4 million riders every month.

“The campaign has been launched in the context of our endeavours to raise ridership of public buses to 8.4 million passengers per month,” said Ahmed Al Hammadi, director of Bus Department at the Public Transport Agency of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), without specifying the current number of ridership.

He said the campaign encompasses numerous events to serve the overall objectives, including the distribution of 300 flyers at public bus stations and displaying of promotional stuff via 4,700 monitors mounted on buses as well as holding of press, radio and television interviews to educate and encourage the public to use mass transit means.

“We have therefore decided to attract a new segment of passengers, the users of social networking channels by motivating them to use public buses.”

He touched on the daily draw initiative offering Galaxy smartphones to the users of Nol cards aboard public buses; 31 commuters were rewarded during the campaign.

“This reward is meant as a leverage for other community members to use public buses as a key transit mode in their mobility across Dubai.

Collective efforts

“Such a trend will bolster the collective efforts to protect the emirate from pollution caused by vehicles and accordingly contribute to a cleaner environment, besides making the use of mass transit means a lifestyle.”