While in Dubai for UITP MENA 2022 Congress, I took the opportunity to try out RTA’s new electric bus which travels between La Mer South to Al Sufouh tram station. It’s currently free and indeed there are no ticket validators on the bus. So if you are in Dubai and have the time, it is the most luxurious bus I have yet had the fortune to travel on.

The RTA coordinated with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Volvo Bus Company, Meraas Real Estate, and ABB Group to launch the pilot. Each bus can travel 200 km on a full charge with a standing electric charge point at La Mer South and overnight charging at Al Quoz depot. The electric bus pilot started in November 2021 and will run until March 2022.

I was the only customer on the bus when I travelled on Thursday apart from the driver, so I took full advantage to sit in the back of the bus and take lots of photos. The customer information schemes are of such high quality I think it is possible to watch Netflix on them! The visual countdown was also very helpful and ensured that I didn’t miss my stop.