<< Train entering Rashidiya station toward Nakheel Harbour & Towers terminus.Rashidiya station access by car is the topic I will look at first today. There are two entrances that I know of, possibly a third.
One is easily taken by following Airport Rd. from the direction of city center toward Khawaneej. There are signs to guide you as you near the station and finally enter by exiting right and following the driveway into the parking structure.
A second entrance is from Emirates Rd., Dubai bound from Sharjah. Again there are signs as one approaches the Rashidiya exit which requires one to basically keep right until eventually reaching the parking entrance ramp, at which point cars follow the left lane and buses/truckes follow the right. (It is all clearly marked, but the key is to remain in the far right lane while exiting Emirates Rd.)
I presume there is a third access route when coming from Emirates Rd., Sharjah bound, which most likely merges with the ramp from the Dubai bound Emirates Rd. exit. In addition, if coming along Airport Rd. from the direction of Khawaneej, one can make a U-turn at the signal just in front of the station and take the immediate right exit into the parking structure.
Wifi no goes....
My wifi troubles continue. I decided to go for as unfettered usage as possible by opting for the expensive 200 dhs package which gives one 60 hrs of use within a 60-day validity period. (It's a sucky package but that is the best per minute rate available.)
Lo and behold one cannot register with a credit card but must go and buy a Du prepaid card from somewhere. The only credit card option available is one hour for 10 dhs. So, frustrated but with no other choice, I enter all my details online to make the 10 dhs payment.
Press submit... OK. Then press proceed... nothing. Press again, wait 2, 3, 4 minutes, still nothing.
I go back to repeat the process. Enter all details and press submit... OK. Then press proceed.... Nothing! Effectively, there is no way to get online. My wifi experience on the metro just gets more and more complicated as the days go by.
Tricky Nol...
Confused by Nol? Or is it just one of the interesting ceilings in the Dubai Mall? >>I don't think I have the knack of using the Nol card correctly yet. Does anyone?
A pamphlet handed out to me on the bus today explains that one must continue to tap the Nol card on the reader until a green flashing light appears. On exiting the bus and tapping my card, I saw only a yellow light, and somewhat distracted with a heavy bag and hands occupied I exited without re-tapping.
The lesson to be learnt, be very attentive with the Nol card! Focus, focus, make sure hands are free and any otherwise distracting issues have been put aside.
Take the Nol card in hand, zero in on the reader, wave, wiggle, press or tap the card on the reader, pay attention to all flashing lights and numbers and be ready to repeat the procedure if need be. (This applies to using the Nol card with the bus--at least on the metro the wicket won't let you through until the procedure is properly carried out.)
Now, please go back and review the process again. Fail to master it at your own peril.
Still, this leaves unanswered questions. Is there a window of time in which one must scan his/her Nol card before exiting the bus? E.g. do you scan it before the bus has stopped, while it is stopping or after it has completely stopped--or can you just take the exit scan at anytime? Can misreading occur, i.e. can a scan to get off the bus be mistakenly read as a scan to get on the bus, thus resulting in a double charge of some sort?
Just a few issues surrounding the tricky Nols. I'm sure any one who has used either bus or metro since the Nol cards debuted has a few of his or her own.
Update:
Seeing the yellow light after scanning my Nol card on exiting the bus this morning, I feared my scan was in error and I would thus be penalized. In the evening on scanning when exiting the bus again, the same result: solid yellow light, not green and flashing. So why, I wonder, does the RTA explanation read:
How to use NOL Card/Ticket...
- Check out at the end of journey by tapping the card/ticket on the card readers.
- A successful tag is followed by the green light blinking, and this means that the check-in/check-out was successful.
- Must continue tapping the reader until the green light blinks.
 This info is contained in a pamphlet I was handed while sitting on the bus this morning. However, having done the check-out procedure twice now, I have yet to see any green light, only yellow. Am I color blind?As I've said, tricky Nol. In the end both check-outs registered as normal and I was not charged any additional fares. It was a false alarm, but it certainly added to my confusion today. << SZR towers near Financial Center metro station at dusk. |
P.S.
For clarification (maybe) visit the NOL home--it's actually a well-laid out, informative site.
Read a fascinating description of an upcoming attraction for another one of Dubai's incredible landmarks:
Experience At The Top of the world vistas at Burj Dubai observatory.
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