Dubai // Commuters travelling between Dubai and Sharjah say a new bus route will do little to help congestion and journey times.
The E311 route, which was launched this weekend by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) between Al Qusais station in Dubai and Al Jubail station in Sharjah, brought 10 new buses onto the roads, four with a capacity of 28 passengers and four double-deckers capable of carrying 41 passengers.
However, passengers say traffic congestion is still a problem and more buses are needed.
Ravi Choudhury, an Indian expatriate who lives in Sharjah and works in a shop in Dubai, said: "It's good to have this bus, but the traffic is still there and the journey takes a long time, especially seeing that it is the weekend."
Mr Choudhury said that it took him more than an hour to get to al Qusais station from Al Taawun bridge area at weekends, and usually two and a half hours during rush hour.
Hani Hallab, a Syrian who lives in Al Qusais, said he feared the area would become more congested as more people move out of Dubai and into Sharjah to counter the rising cost of living.
"Rent in Sharjah is much cheaper than Dubai and with everything that's going on in the financial markets and rising costs of food, I am better living somewhere cheaper and travelling into Dubai. More people will do this as the situation gets worse so we need more buses and better routes."
However, Mr Hallab, who travels to Sharjah to time with his relatives, said the new bus was preferable to the current choices. The bus "will save money on taking taxis and will be a lot more comfortable to travel on than other buses currently in service".
The new bus service shuttles passengers through the busy Beirut Road area and Sharjah's Al Taawun Bridge area, before turning round and returning to the bus depot in Dubai.
Buses start at 4pm and will continue till 11.30pm, from Saturday to Thursday. On Fridays and official holidays, buses will be operated from 7am to 11.30pm at 20-minute intervals.
Eisa al Dosari, the chief executive of RTA's Public Transport Agency said he was looking forward to "a clear improvement on the quality of service ... following the introduction of these buses".
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
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Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills