Air-conditioned bus shelters roll out in Dubai

Transcript

00:00Getting around town in the sweltering heat could be a thing of the past.

00:10The first phase of air-conditioned bus stop shelters has been rolled out in Dubai.

00:15It's a world's first for the city, with 47 of the 1,000 planned now in operation.

00:21Up to 14 people can squeeze into a shelter, but only 8 can sit down.

00:26Keeping cool in the summer heat doesn't come cheap either.

00:30The project is costing the RTA close to 750 million dirhams.

00:35So is it really making a difference to people's commutes?

00:38We went to find out.

00:39I feel not very tired when I go to work because before this air-condition I felt sweaty and

00:50my body not conditioned when I go to work.

00:52The only thing I've noticed in the bus is it's quite small to accommodate lots of people

00:56every day going to the office and coming back to their house.

01:00The RTA says the new shelters will help encourage people to leave behind their gas-guzzling

01:054x4s and use the buses.

01:08Reducing congestion in the city has been a long-term strategy, but it remains to be seen

01:13whether public transport will be a serious option for the majority of people.

01:17Ashraf Helmy, Gulf News.

01:22For more information visit www.gulfnews.com