Mall announces free bus service to fight traffic in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI: Located in the heart of Abu Dhabi, Mushrif Mall, in collaboration with Department of Transport (DoT) represented by the Integrated Transport Center (ITC) in Abu Dhabi announced the implementation of a free bus service to and from nearby areas in a bid to reduce traffic congestion and enhance community comfort.

As part of a community outreach campaign on sustainability, the initiative is inspired to improve the quality of services for public transport by adopting a focused, integrated and sustainable infrastructure set up by the Mushrif Mall and endorsed by DoT and its commitment to champion innovative solutions in eco transport around Abu Dhabi.

Mohammed bin Hamad Al Muhairi, Executive Director of Public Transport Sector at the ITC, reiterated the positive benefits of the initiative and said, “We are delighted with the sustainable integrated transport offer provided by Mushrif Mall as it is such cooperation between the private and public sectors that fulfills the sustainable economic growth demands in Abu Dhabi, reduces the negative impact resulted from carbon emissions from large number of cars on the road and hence improves quality of life.”

Al Muhairi added that the new bus service launched in Mushrif Mall aims to decrease the traffic congestion in the areas around the shopping mall. The service will include three routes in its first phase and will operate within 10km in the surrounding area. The Bus Transport Team from the ITC worked closely with Mushrif Mall team to identify the routes and bus stops needed to meet the public demand. He added that this service is expected to attract many of the residents in the neighboring area.

Yusuffali M. A, Chairman and Managing Director of LuLu Group said, “The free and comfortable bus service to Mushrif Mall is a campaign that outreaches to the community and takes an initial step to promote sustainable and eco friendly living in Abu Dhabi. We hope that the popularity of the service will prompt other malls to implement similar green initiatives.”

In addition to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with DoT and the flag off of the bus service at the launch, the mall also unveiled the route map of the buses at the entrance of the mall for customer ease and convenience.

The free community bus service will be operated from Mushrif Mall and cover the catchment of the surrounding area as well as evaluate the customers’ feedback and satisfaction to improve the bus service further.

The bus service is a CSR initiative of Mushrif Mall offering alternative and innovative solutions to reduce traffic congestion in the nearby communities.