<< DXB Internaitonal AirportBad wifi connection as I took the train home. The signal was fading in and out, and each time out my login was cut.
It takes a couple of minutes or so to login each time, so that was as good as having no wifi at all. I suspect there was an issue with the wifi on that particular train.
I took a new bus route today--new for me, that is. The X35, I believe, from the Greens into town. X is for express so it was a fast ride in. I met a compatriot of sorts named Zia. Like me he is commuting daily on metro and bus. He said he had studied the network carefully in advance to work out his route, which saves him time, but not money. My commute is just the reverse, saving me money, but not time.
I had a bit of luck with the Nol card today. Being short on credits and presuming I would just incur a negative balance I just got on and off the bus even though the reader indicated insufficient funds. Later, however, I found nothing had been deducted from the card or registered for that segment. It was luck that I was not refused boarding by the driver, as it seems some in similar situations have been. This relates to some serious Nol woes... read more in the last section.
The 4 pm metro was quite crowded. I stood until a couple of stations further down. If I compare the atmosphere today to the opening days of the metro last week, the sense of thrill among riders seems to have subsided.
But if I compare it to the metro commuting experience in other cities where the metro is more established, Dubai-ites seem to be rather silently overjoyed at this new mode of transport. Everyone on board has a generally mild, calm, relaxed disposition. There aren't all the mobile cameras snapping pictures or the giddy racing about from windows to seats to aisles, as on the first couple of days. But one can still sense an inner joy and contentedness.
The Name Game
What exactly are the names of the 10 metro stations which are open?
- RashidiyaDubai International Terminal 3 (too long!)Deira City CentreAl Rigga (with about 3 "rrr"s)Union (short and sweet)Khalid Bin al Waleed (aka Bur Juman)Al Jafiliya (a rather unfamiliar word to non-Arabic speakers)Financial Centre (sounding somewhat pompous)Mall of the Emirates (notorious already for its crowds and train malfunction issues)Nakheel Harbour & Tower (named after two things which don't and may never exist).
Nol Card Woes
I think I'm getting the hang of using these cards. I've had no more mysterious disappearance of credits, which had been mostly due to my own inexperience and my being unaware with regard to its proper use. The big discovery for me was that metro and bus fares are identical, irrespective of the mode of transport you take.
 Metro train running past Dubai Marina in new Dubai. |
The problem it seems is that while the RTA has been running campaigns for months and even years promoting the metro, they have basically sprung the Nol card for bus use on the public without any forewarning. It would appear that there are issues of both the public not knowing how to use the cards properly and malfunction of card reading machines. The result is that Nol card purchasers are losing lots of money and getting very angry.
See the public reaction here and be amazed!
There are other issues too. Commuters can't find places to top up their Nol cards or buy new ones. If taking the metro only, things seem to be going much smoother. It is the bus commuters who have been caught completely unawares. I would hope the RTA would rectify this issue quickly and I would suggest they take the approach that Abu Dhabi did when introducing its new public bus system. They allowed riders to ride at no charge for at least half a year. The RTA should do the same, at least until they have taken the time to educate the public, got all the card readers on buses working properly and improved the distribution of cards and top up facilities.
IS ANYONE AT THE RTA LISTENING?
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