Nol Woes...

<< DXB Internaitonal Airport

Bad 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?

1. Rashidiya
2. Dubai International Terminal 3 (too long!)
3. Deira City Centre
4. Al Rigga (with about 3 "rrr"s)
5. Union (short and sweet)
6. Khalid Bin al Waleed (aka Bur Juman)
7. Al Jafiliya (a rather unfamiliar word to non-Arabic speakers)
8. Financial Centre (sounding somewhat pompous)
9. Mall of the Emirates (notorious already for its crowds and train malfunction issues)
10. 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?

Bold Initiatives

Meeting the city's public transport needs. >>

"We are planning to have 90 per cent of Dubai's urban and suburban areas covered with public buses by 2010 with more than 2,000 buses," said Al Dossari.

He said the maximum distance to get to the public transport would be 250 metres from a passenger's doorstep once the system is fully operational by the end of next month.

Gulf News_17-Sep-09

Fanciful?

I came to the UAE 9 years ago and at that time could count the number of bus routes on two hands.

Now there are dozens and the investment in buses seems to already be in the thousands.

During 2010 both of the metro lines should be fully operational and already it is apparent that feeder buses along the existing line have already made the 250 meters goal a reality in some areas.

I can't imagine anywhere else where the commitment to public transport has improved so dramatically within so short a time.

Union Station historical museum style interiors (above & below).

A reflective take on the city >> All alone is how I start my train ride today, at the usual time--about 9 a.m. Not a single other soul in my carriage nor in the women's and gold class sections nearby. It's not really a good sign. Anecdotally, morning usage seems to have grown lighter as the week has progressed. Still, it's early days yet. It is another bright, clear morning, with the city quickly coming into focus. My train arrived at the Airport Terminal 3 station where I saw a couple of pax toting big bags on wheels heading into the terminal. I'm not absolutely sure that they had disembarked from the metro, but it would appear so and it would also seem that heavy bags are allowed on the metro, within reason. I would qualify this by explaining that many workers, especially laborers in the UAE, usually head back to their home contries on vacation or final return with huge parcels--containing the maximum weight allowed. This was formerly 50 kg--a massive amount when packed into a single carton, but I believe that the limit has been reduced in recent years. In any event, these travelers still carry quite a bit with them, so I'm doubtful that this would fall into the metro carry-on allowance. The train has picked up a few more pax in the underground stations, but there are still seats available. With that it's time to attempt to log in and upload before I reach my final stop.

Quote of the Day

---

"And now our challenge is how to really persuade the UAE people to travel on this train. They will take time but this is there.

"Foreigners will travel on it, I will travel, but it will take time to make UAE citizens travel on the train."

Sheikh Mohammad, ruler of Dubai

Will they be convinced to ride the buses, too?

Busing

I wasn't thinking much beyond the metro window when I started this blog, but just as interesting is the view from and on the bus. Taking the bus, seems to be an essential component of taking the metro. In that light the unified bus/metro fare makes sense.

Dubai 2009--the future is now. Train approaching Financial Center station.

I'd have to say I'm a fan of Dubai's double-decker buses. They're not like the famous Red London buses as the ones in Dubai are all brand new and ultra modern. Riding on the top deck you get an unrivaled and basically free tourist-ready view of the city.

Different from the metro, you will find more laborers on the buses, but for the most part the passengers seem to consist of a full variety of the population, excluding Western expats and locals. Actually, there appear to be very few Arabs of any nationality.

Oh well, that leaves us with natives of the sub-continent, as it's called, and Filipinos mostly.

Sitting in the seat across the aisle from me is a handsome Pashtoon wearing the traditional hospital gown colored pajama garb and a Ramadan beaded cap. For the most part, things shiny and new like these buses and the metro, remain that way in Dubai. I think I'm the only person around toting an expensive camera and laptop, but there is no need to be concerned about anything getting snatched.

Station entrance of Financial Center

Bank vault? No, restroom entrance in the station.

Back on the metro I am continuing my commute to Rashidiya. When I boarded, the train was packed.

At the first stop I got off and moved up a few carriages to where there was a bit more space. Then, I disembarked again at Union station and took photos on the two station levels there.

That done, I came back down to the platform and boarded the next Rashidiya bound train, which was quite empty.

I have a seat now, the easier to blog from! The moral of this, if your carriage is too crowded get off and move to another. If the train is still too crowded, then disembark and take the next one.

Sun sets on the city--view from the metro at DXB International.

Metro Community

This was mentioned on the radio this morning--the supposition that you have a sense of community forming around the metro commute.

It's a logical presumption. You may or may not interact with those around you, but I'm sure when one encounters familiar faces, there will be more interaction.

There is also the opportunity to interact with the metro system staff, and there is quite a large number at present. On my commute thus far I meet first the parking attendants and various maintenance workers, cleaning staff, customer assistants (who stand in the ticket lobby assisting passengers), ticket sales and information counter staff, security personnel and finally the cabin crew. I was informed today that there are 2 cabin crew personnel and one security officer on my train. There is no driver, of course.

There you have it--quite a varied assortment, even more so when you take into account the variety of passengers. I can't say I've done too well on my interpersonal efforts. I shall make more of an attempt to at least greet staff. A few of my encounters have involved wrangling over ticketing issues--already discussed in previous posts.

Wifi continues to be a bit of a bane for me. I am quite certain that upload ability is severely limited. At best one might upload a text only post to his/her blog and send off text only emails. Attempting to transfer even a small picture file of less than 100k can mean waiting several minutes, by which time you'll probably need to disembark.

My other issue with the Wifi is the cost. At 10 dhs for 60 minutes it takes you back to the days of dial up when you had to disconnect once your page loaded and do your reading offline. As it stands on the metro you'll have your 60 minutes and 10 dhs melt away in no time. This is not what wifi is supposed to be about. It needs to be continuous or it loses half its value. It is as though you had to go and switch on and off the power supply in your home when using electrical appliances in order to avoid being overcharged.

Light passenger traffic on the train this morning. Even fewer than yesterday. It's 9:30, roughly the same time as my travel yesterday.

Time to sign off, now to get off at my approaching stop.

Failed attempt. The time it took to log in and then attempt to upload my post w/o picture was almost 5 minutes by which time I reached my stop. This is very poor performance for a wifi service.

PS: Complaint/Suggestion

---

I have just logged a complaint through the RTA helpline 8009090 (very handy, good service) about the poor upload capacity and high charge for wifi. I must say, the CS agents are very responsive when taking any suggestions. I will follow up here with any response. If anyone else has concerns on these two issues, please login your complaint as well.

Commuting Success

Metro traffic still light this morning. One friendly face now on my third day of commuting--security guard Zahir at Rashidiya station. I think I chatted with him on the 10th when everybody excitedly took the early morning ride on the first metro train to depart.

<< 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.

PM Commute

The pride of Dubai: 165-story Burj Dubai, seen through tinted glass from the top deck of the 98E bus.

It's 6 pm now and I'm on the commute back home, leaving Jafliya station and heading underground to my favorite, Bur Juman station. I won't be getting off there, however. It's back to Rashidiya and then my drive back to Ajman.

I struggled with the bus in the morning but am now getting the hang of it. Wojhati, that online route planner with the Arabic name is becoming more user friendly to me. So, with a feeling of accomplishment I got the bus from work on time and on the right route, got a lot of photos enroute and happily topped up my Nol card when I reached the station.

From office door, a brief walk to the bus stop, a few minutes wait for the bus, a 10 minute ride, then off the bus and into the station terminal in a couple hundred meters--all like clockwork. Finally!

Burj Dubai seen from ground level.

The Financial Center metro station.

Once on the train I crowded in the front car with a few other passengers, all wielding cameras or mobile phones and getting snaps of metro rail, buildings that line either side and approaching stations and trains. It's day 4 or 5 of the metro and the buzz is still in the air. I don't know how long we will all be allowed to take photos at will of station, trains, the cabins and our fellow passengers, but it is fun while it lasts.

Up the escalator of the station foot bridge.

The foot bridge across Sheikh Zayed Rd.

There isn't any evidence of rush hour commuting yet as even at this time it is easy to find a seat, although most are taken. The mix of passengers includes the various nationality types who populate the city. Most are men aged 20-40, probably the largest demographic grouping in the city. But there are some women, couples and the odd family. Most of the men appear to be working class or professionals. I see the occasional dishdasha and abaya as well.

Passengers wait on the platform for their train.

View of the track through the towers of SZR.

Over the intercom is a continuing string of BGM--actually a modern sounding, upbeat little melody that repeats every 9 seconds. Announcements are in Arabic then English. Well, I'm just exiting the underground portion of the route with two stations to go to my stop.

A fellow passenger takes in the views.

From the front car it resembles a rollercoaster.

I'll try to get in a couple more pictures.

Commuting

I'm commuting for the second day running, starting from Rashidiya station at about 9 a.m. There are very few passengers on the train and very few cars parked in the 2700 capacity car park. That suggests that commuters, whether from Sharjah or this side of Dubai, have yet to take up the option to park and ride.

<< a Saturday evening on the metro

For 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.

Bur Juman Station (& Bus Travails)

Khalid Bin al Waleed is the correct name of this station, but that's a bit of a mouthful, and I think most people prefer its nom de guerre, Bur Juman. It is one of four underground stations on the new Red line and to my sense it is quite simply grand.



The pictures here will attest to that. But I must add that it isn't very large. It consists basically of 3 underground levels. The uppermost is the ticket lobby which stands out with its flourescent blue light panels on the ceiling. Below this is the mid-level which, while little more than an escalator lobby of sorts between the ticket and boarding floors, is festooned with historic photographic murals and grandiose jellyfish chandeliers. The lowest level, with the boarding platforms, has similar murals--all floors do--and all floors are bathed in iridescent blue light. Words cannot adequately describe the grandeur, but pictures can. It is all so rich--I absolutely love it.

Before I go on, I must digress, however, with a word of warning on the use of the Nol card with buses.

Beware of Bus Transfers

Let me start off this little aside by giving away my sentiment about the buses--They SUCK--Royally!! How can I limit this to a few sentences?

The buses here have the most convoluted routes and it is nearly impossible to get actionable information so that you can use the buses without having to rely on trial and error. (Maybe the new Feeder buses represent a degree of improvement. My concern and great frustration is with the regular run of buses that many of us are forced to rely on with only 10 metro stations open.)

Without going into tedious detail, I would suffice it to say that I am going through a lot of trials and even more errors in trying to figure out how to get from A to B on the sucking buses.

The buses, themselves, are actually quite magnificent--big, brawny, cool and comfortable--but the drivers, the human interface, are the weak link (if not the missing link). They are useless as sources of information about their own routes and they seem for the most part quite happy to stop or not stop as they please for pick-ups and drop-offs. They basically ignore whatever their official duties are apart form pressing a gas pedal and steering.

Too bad we can't have driverless buses.

Now, the thing to beware...

---

When you swipe your Nol card to get on the bus and to presumably get a free journey after disembarking the metro, there are a couple of issues.

One is that when you later swipe the card again to get off the bus, the bus may interpret this not as an ending swipe but a new starting swipe, so you may get double charged.

Even worse, if you fail to swipe your card on exit, which I decided to do in order to avoid getting charged double, you instead get charged the maximum travel charge. Now on buses, this is 2 dhs--no big deal, right? But it doesn't work like this. You don't get charged the maximum bus fare, you get charged the maximum metro fare! So it's 5.8 dhs.

I did this twice unaware of what was happening, so my Nol card ended up with a negative balance and when I went to top it up, it instead sucked up all the money I had just put in and left me with still a negative balance. The moral of the story? The buses SUCK! And I threw that sucking Nol card away and decided to take a loss and start all over again with a new card.

Ok--got that off my chest--now back to the magnificent Bur Juman station. Feast on the images. Viva Khalid Bin al Waleed!!

This just in from the RTA...

Inquiring about these high bus charges, I was told that the buses are now on the same fee structure as the Metro. I don't remember any public announcements of the same, but there you go... a Unified Fare System.

That explains a lot. I had wondered why the 5 Zones indicated for Metro charges seemed somewhat irrelevant as the Metro didn't pass through some of the listed zones. Now, those still carrying the former bus cards with credit still on them will still get charged the flat 2 Dhs fare.

One more thing...

indicating that the RTA are not all bad. I called 3 days ago informing them of a bus shelter with non-functioning a/c. When I visited the shelter today, I found the a/c had been repaired. The many cynical among the public never bother to call to report such faults.
Thanks RTA

Khalid Bin al Waleed Station on the Dubai Metro

---

Jellyfish chandeliers at Bur Juman metro station in Dubai.

(Click on images for enlarged views.)

Historic photographic images line the walls of the metro station.

Passengers make their way between the boarding platform and ticket levels.

Metallic blue reflective panels function to bathe the escalator shaft in blue.
Blue iridescent lighting floods the ticket lobby.

The beautiful historic murals feature both in the ticket lobby and on the platforms.
	Khalid Bin al Waleed station is sort of like a living museum. For a space intended as little more than a transit hub it is impossible not to want to linger. Green line passengers, once it opens in 2010, will be able to soothe their minds feast their eyes as well in this elegant blue zone.

Addendum to the Bus Fiasco

I submitted the following message to the RTA,

Bus charged me Dhs 5.8 for not swiping out! It's a bus not the metro, so why this maximum charge? It happened twice, registered a negative balance on my Nol card, then when I topped up my Nol card with 10 dhs it immediately ate it up and left me still with a negative balance. I threw the damn Nol card away and bought a new one. Please fix this. Buses should not be charging metro fares whether one swipes when getting off or not!

Please, if anyone else encounters such bus fiascoes, complain direct to the RTA.