RTA Launches Monthly Subscription Service To Nol Blue Card, Redefines Dubai Zones Starting Next Friday

The Step Is Intended To Tally With The Imminent Operation Of The Green Line And An Upsurge In Bus Routes. Monthly Subscription Ranges From 100 Dirham For Mobility Within A Specific Zone To 270 Dirham For Mobility In All Zones: Al Tayer.

Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji: The Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) announced the launch of a monthly subscription service to Nol Blue Card, coupled with re-partitioning of Dubai into 7 zones instead of 5 in view of the geographical expansion of districts served by Dubai Metro given the forthcoming operation of the Green Line, and the opening of new routes for public buses.

Announcing the above, His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA, said: “The monthly subscription service to Nol Blue Card will be launched as of next Friday (August 12) and the monthly subscription has been divided into three tiers tailored to cater to the needs of various public transport commuters. Subscription to the first tier, which costs 100 dirham, enables the subscriber mobility using various public transport modes (metro and buses) within one zone; subscription to the second tier, which costs 180 dirham, enables the subscriber mobility within two zones; and subscription to the third tier, which costs 270 dirham, enables the subscriber free mobility in all zones served by public transport means. The subscriber has to specify the area within which he or she intends to commute at the time of subscription in the first and second tiers only. However, it is possible for the subscriber to change the subscribed zone upon the expiry of the monthly subscription,” said Al Tayer.

“The monthly subscription to Nol Blue Card is the ideal option for commuters using public transport modes on regular basis. RTA has launched this service to encourage various community segments to uptake mass transit means through providing different types of Nol cards to serve the needs of various community spectrums.

“The decision of rezoning Dubai into 7 zones instead of 5 is triggered by the expansion of areas covered by public transport means, particularly as the operation of the Green Line is fast approaching next September, coupled with an upsurge in public bus routes. The decision was taken following the assessment of the experimental trial phase of the system which pointed to the need of revising the perimeters of certain areas for the sake of passenger safety as it was observed that some of the Dubai Metro and public bus commuters cross expressways in order to shift from one zone to another, exposing themselves to risks of run-over accidents.

The mobility tariff using Nol card comprises 4 levels; Level (0): for a short journey not more than 3 km, Level (1): for a journey that starts and terminates within the same zone, Level (2): for a journey that starts in one zone and terminates in a neighbouring zone (two adjacent zones), and Level (3): for a journey spanning three or more zones. The Red Line stations impacted by the rezoning are limited namely; Khalid bin Al Waleed, Karama, Jafliyah, Dubai World Trade Center, Emirates Towers, Financial Center, Burj Khalifa Dubai Mall, and Business Bay stations.

“The total number of Nol cards sold since the inauguration of the metro service in September 2009 till the mid of this year exceeded 3 million cards and Nol Silver card was the top seller with more than 3000 cards sold everyday. The number of daily transactions made by Nol cards has broken the one million per day barrier; which reveals that the number of mass transit users, particularly the metro and public buses, is continuously on the rise. The daily transactions of Nol cards includes passengers entry/exit from the metro stations & buses, payment of parking fees and top ups.

Emirate:  Dubai

Date: Aug 6, 2011

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