More than 1.6m passengers used Dubai transport on New Year\'s Eve

The total number of passengers who used mass transit means during Dubai's New Year's Eve celebrations was 1,656,286. The figures were broken down as: Metro 727,829 passengers, taxis, 525,997, bus riders 314,109, inter-city bus passengers 44,587, and marine transit users 43,764. Dr. Aysha Al Busmait, Media Adviser and Spokesperson of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), said, "The RTA had worked out a comprehensive traffic plan to control vehicular movement and public transport on New Year's Eve, which witnessed intensive traffic movement, especially in the surroundings of Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa, and the Palm Jumeirah. The plan took into account integrating various transport modes and traffic systems to facilitate the movement of people to and from these areas. Metro service hours were extended to ensure continuous services from 5:30 a.m. until the early hours of 1st January 2014. Speaking about public bus services on New Year's Eve, Al Busmait said, "The RTA provided 60 feeder buses to serve Metro users, additional parking, and additional taxi ranks over and above the existing routes serving the neighbourhood. 15 buses were deployed to serve Meydan parking, 20 to serve the Trade Centre, 15 to serve Zaabeel Park and the Residency and Foreigners Affairs Department, and a further 10 buses were deployed to take the public from the eastern part of Sheikh Zayed Road to the Western part. "Buses were operating 24 hours to match the metro stations, and 40 feeder buses served Nakheel Harbour and Tower Station for the Palm Jumeirah. "Taxi ranks and a dedicated taxi-lane were designated to facilitate access to the event venue, where two main car parks were designated. Fifty-five limousine companies were also invited to offer services to passengers during the event," concluded Dr. Al Busmait.