Dubai authority builds 900 air-conditioned bus shelters

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has completed the construction of 900 air-conditioned bus shelters spanning all bus stops in Dubai, and 770 of them are now fully operational, officials said on Monday. Mohammad Al Ali, Director of Buildings & Facilities, RTA's Corporate Technical Support Services Sector, said: "Work is up and running to complete this vital project and operate all shelters in order to raise the level of services delivered to bus commuters and boost the integration of various mass transit modes in Dubai." "With onset of summer, several complaints are being made about the performance of air-conditioning systems fitted to these shelters, citing that they are not functioning properly. However, we confirm that these air-conditioners are highly efficient and the reason for any poor performance is attributed to the fact that some users leave the doors of these shelters open for a long period; which triggers the A/Cs to switch off as the indoor environment of the shelter is adversely affected by the external weather; where temperature is currently on the rise particularly at noon," said Al Ali.