RECYCLED shipping containers are being used to house some of the new bus shelters that are going up around Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
The development is part of a AED35 million (US$9.5 million) project by the Department of Transport to build 100 new air-conditioned shelters in the city by year-end.
Thirty of the 100 new shelters are already in use, while 20 are housed in shipping containers and these will be rolled out in the coming months, reported The National.
A total of 600 new shelters are planned across the entire emirate by 2020. All of the new units will provide outdoor shading and seats, bus timetables, bins for regular and recyclable waste, a QR (quick response) code panel that enables connection to bus routes and top-up machines for hafilat cards.
Some of the shipping container shelters will be temporary but others are permanent and more could be installed if feedback from the public is positive. The containers can be installed swiftly and are 40 per cent cheaper than building regular units.
'The idea is to improve the quality of the public transport service,' said Ahmed Al Mazrouei, advisor to the Department of Transport. 'If we take no action then the traffic will get worse. The Government believes public transport is the solution so shelters are very important.'
The news will also come as a relief to hard-pressed users of public transport. People often raise concerns about the lack of shelters in certain areas and the fact air-conditioning often breaks during the summer months. Some 52 million bus rides were taken in Abu Dhabi last year, up three per cent on 2016.
'The project reflects the aspirations of the leadership to establish a modern transport infrastructure and a sustainable living environment in the emirate of Abu Dhabi,' added Mr Al Mazrouei.
The development is part of a AED35 million (US$9.5 million) project by the Department of Transport to build 100 new air-conditioned shelters in the city by year-end.
Thirty of the 100 new shelters are already in use, while 20 are housed in shipping containers and these will be rolled out in the coming months, reported The National.
A total of 600 new shelters are planned across the entire emirate by 2020. All of the new units will provide outdoor shading and seats, bus timetables, bins for regular and recyclable waste, a QR (quick response) code panel that enables connection to bus routes and top-up machines for hafilat cards.
Some of the shipping container shelters will be temporary but others are permanent and more could be installed if feedback from the public is positive. The containers can be installed swiftly and are 40 per cent cheaper than building regular units.
'The idea is to improve the quality of the public transport service,' said Ahmed Al Mazrouei, advisor to the Department of Transport. 'If we take no action then the traffic will get worse. The Government believes public transport is the solution so shelters are very important.'
The news will also come as a relief to hard-pressed users of public transport. People often raise concerns about the lack of shelters in certain areas and the fact air-conditioning often breaks during the summer months. Some 52 million bus rides were taken in Abu Dhabi last year, up three per cent on 2016.
'The project reflects the aspirations of the leadership to establish a modern transport infrastructure and a sustainable living environment in the emirate of Abu Dhabi,' added Mr Al Mazrouei.