An electronic fare payment card that can be used on different types of public transport is to be launched on the same day as the Dubai Metro, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced yesterday.
And fares for the Metro will be subsidised for a number of years by the Dubai Government to encourage people to commute on public transport, Mattar Al Tayer, RTA Chairman and Executive Director revealed.
Al Tayer gave details of the Metro's fare structure and said the minimum charge will be Dh2 for a journey of up to 3km within a single fare zone.
For commuters using the e-cards, the minimum charge will be only Dh1.80.
"The subsidised fares are much cheaper than corresponding Metro fares in Singapore, Egypt and the US," said Al Tayer. "Even with subsidised fares the project will be able to generate revenue and breakeven through private-public partnership initiatives including commercial development of Dubai Metro sites.
"Within five years the Metro will be able to recover 30 to 40 per cent of the capital invested in the project."
The payment cards, known as a Nol cards, will be available from September 9 – the day the Dh15.5 billion Metro system will welcome its first passengers. The scheme will enable customers to pay for all travel fares plus parking fees using a single card.
"The unified Nol card will offer smooth and comfortable service to users of Dubai Metro, public buses, waterbuses and paid parking zones," added Al Tayer.
"In the long run the Nol card will be used on all the integrated mass transit modes – buses, marine transport, Metro and tram. The cards are designed to prevent tampering and will be supplied by multiple outlets. In the future they will be used for loyalty points programmes, and to provide discounts for students, children and people with special needs."
Under the Nol scheme, Dubai will be divided into zones numbered from one to five, and the more zones a passenger travels across the higher the fare will be.
There will be two categories of Nol cards – a Dh2 red paper ticket and three classes of electronic cards – blue, silver and gold. The fare for a single journey not exceeding three km using the paper ticket will be Dh2 and a longer journey in one zone will cost Dh2.5. The fare for a trip that passes through two neighbouring zones will be Dh4.50, while a journey through three zones or more will cost Dh6.5.
Gold class fares will be Dh4 for a three km trip in one zone, Dh5 for a longer single-zone journey, Dh9 for two zones and Dh13 for three zones or more.
Nol cards will be available from sales outlets, ticket booths, vending machines in all metro stations, bus stations and RTA customer service centres.
Passengers will be able to recharge the cards at the same outlets – the blue, silver and gold ones will each hold up to Dh500 of credit.
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