<< The interior of those lustrous double-decker buses.It's a hazy morning as usual as I pass the airport on my right, with views of SZR towers in the distance on the left. I can't make out the Burj Dubai today due the haze, despite it otherwise being a bright and sunny day.
In my carriage there are only a handful of other riders now at 9:30 a.m. I picked up a new Nol card for a colleague today--wanted to pay by credit card. Unfortunately credit card payment isn't up and running yet, whether for new cards or topping up. The vending machines are operating on a cash only basis, and I was informed that any change provided would only be in coins. So, still some issues to work out there.
For anyone considering starting their commute on the Metro, there is no time better than now. With light usage at present one can enjoy a quiet, comfortable ride. Of course, for many people the issue is connecting with home and work when boarding or exiting the metro.
I am about to find out after I exit the station whether I have finally cracked the connection riddle. If all goes right, I'll exit at the Financial Center station and walk a hundred meters or so to a nearby bus stop, where I'll be able to take the 98E bus to the office.
(Deira City Center, btw, the first underground station and the third stop along the line is the first where I've seen a good number of people to board. There are still lots of empty seats in the carriage, however.)
SZR with Business Bay towers in the background. >>The fact is, there is a way if there is a will, but I'm sure most people don't have the patience or motivation to find the way. It is cynical to fault the RTA, I feel, when a lot of effort is being made to make things as convenient and usable as possible. No one and no organization is perfect, after all.
(Now at Khalid Bin al Waleed station the carriage has finally filled up with all seats taken.)
On Disembarkation...
So, the test today is whether I will finally be successful with the bus.
Correction from yesterday: My mistake, the bus stop I needed does have the 98E bus indicated--I had checked the wrong stop.
The correct stop is about 500 meters from the station, much closer to the preceding metro stop, which is not yet open. So, it is a bit of a walk, but no loss to me--all in a day's exercise.
Feeder buses are coming by on target it seems, separated by 5 to 10 minutes. That should make metro commuting quite easy once all stations are open.
The 98E has also arrived in a timely manner, with only 15 minutes or so between this one and the preceding bus.
With that I pronounce my efforts to commute via the metro, finally, a success. I'll be at my office in about 10 minutes of boarding the bus, making the entire metro/bus transfer about 65 minutes. An hour in transit is acceptable, and once the station nearest my office opens I should save another 15 or 20 minutes.
<< View of the Greens from top level of double decker.That said, the metro isn't a timesaver for me. Were I to continue my drive from Ajman rather than parking at Rashidiya station I would need only an additional 20-30 minutes, rather than the hour needed for train and bus. It won't be a timesaver for anyone not living either directly on a Metro line or a feeder bus route.
But it is a money saver, and it allows one to do something while commuting--that is, if a seat is available. My total fair for train and bus each way is 2.3 dirham (about 62 US cents). The cost for me to drive with petrol and regular maintenance far exceeds this.
System Check No.2
Now that I've worked out the daily work commute, a second test needed is on how reliable the system is for making appointments. I have set myself the task of getting from my office to another--neither being directly on the metro or the feeder lines. I had to do extensive research with Wojathi. The RTA's online journey planner, as it is called, enables you to plan your journey via public transport in precise detail. In this case for example, I'm told what bus to take at what times, how far to walk (time and distance) between connections, and of course, metro timing. It'a a bus-train-bus trip with a kilometer or more of walking in between. Let's see how it goes.
Results in and test a FAILURE!
The bus part is the problem. While I waited at MOE and watched all the Feeder buses pass by, my normal bus just never showed up. The normally 20-minute trip by car took about 2 hrs and that with finally giving up and taking a taxi.
Glitches...
Passing through one of the yet to be opened stations. >>There are bound to be more of these while metro services are still new. This one concerns the wifi connection. I went for the 1-hr, 60-day option, but in just two days it has expired. Did I already use up 1 hour? I'm on the train 15 min to and fro each day, so were I logged in the full time I guess it's plausible. Anyway, I'll sign up again and monitor the time more carefully.
One more thing. While the signal is excellent, upload times appear to be very slow, while incoming data is quite fast.
I thought my card was once again being mischarged for my journeys but a check at the info station showed all was fine. I guess half of the problem with the cards is that passengers can't monitor their usage independently, so I suspect it will lead to a lot of us thinking incorrectly that we were cheated.
Third time the charm?
<< The blogger himself, enjoying a metro ride.Back on the metro now for the third journey of the day, 7 pm and traveling from MOE to Rashidiya. Passenger load is light. A few people standing in some carriages, however, there are still open seats. Let's see if the train gets fuller or emptier as we pass through the city center. It's Ramadan anyway, so that helps thin out the traffic a bit.
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