<< a Saturday evening on the metroFor me, it's worth it to take the metro. It is nice to have the easy park facility and it saves me 30km in driving daily. Due to high maintenance costs for running up too much mileage, my car needs the break.
It doesn't, however, save me any time. None of the 10 stations open are near enough to my work place to exit the station and either walk or take a feeder bus. Also the slowest part of my commute--the drive from Ajman through Sharjah--takes most of the time.
It is an hour plus drive, followed by maybe 15-20 minutes with the metro and then the hassle of the bus--not being a feeder bus, wait and travel times are unpredictable.
Yesterday, as mentioned in the previous post, I discovered that the RTA now has a unified fare structure in place so bus journeys cost the same as metro journeys, as determined by distance and zones. So, bus riders may now face a maximum 5.8 dhs fare as opposed to the formerly flat 2 dhs fare. Just yesterday one colleague commented, "Why take the metro when the bus is only 2 dhs?" Well, besides the long waits and circuitous routes of the buses, one now has to pay the same fare.
Blame for recent train delays have been placed on passenger misuse of emergency mechanisms! >>Granted, there are still only 10 stations and the metro only follows one line through the city, but we're getting there. I'm a metro believer!
It's time to conclude this post as I get near my station. It's very comfortable blogging from a nearly empty metro carriage with a good wireless connection. With only 10 or 15 minutes on the train per ride, I have discovered the best payment option is the 1 hr, 10 dhs credit card plan which is good for up to 60 days.
P.S. More bus woes...
On exiting the metro station I once again faced the challenge of getting the bus I needed. The basic issue this time was bus stops not correctly indicating which buses stop there. The huge Trade Center R/A has 3 or 4 bus stops along its circumference. As it turns out the crazy 98E bus stops at two of these, but only one is indicated and which one to choose depends on the direction of the bus, which is, of course, not obvious as it is a roundabout.
Basically I'm on day 4 of trying to discover which buses I need to connect efficiently with the metro. The fact is, the buses I need are there, the proper routes exist, but after 4 days of consulting bus maps online, checking postings at bus stops, speaking with RTA reps and speaking with bus drivers, other passengers and colleagues, I still haven't got it worked out.
Tune in again tomorrow. Hopefully the 5th day will be the charm!
 | << Photographic murals inside Bur Juman station. The station is like a museum cast in 5-star hotel opulence, while at the same time remaining chic and modern. The images are historic and the blue iridescent lighting profoundly calming. See previous post. |
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