The metro’s Al Rigga station, which services thousands of Filipinos living in Deira, was the busiest on the Red Line last year with approximately 8.3 million passengers, according to the Roads and Transportation Authority (RTA).
This is followed by Deira City Center Station at 7.4 million, ahead of Burj Khalifa Station with 7.25 million.
The Al Rigga and Union stations are where Filipinos, along with fellow expatriates in the area, board everyday on their way to and back from work, among them 25-year-old Susanna Carreon, a salelady at Dubai Mall who, noting how “difficult” it was back then when the metro was still not around.
“Dapat meron kang at least one hour allowance commuting kasi maghintay ka pa ng bus and then mahaba ang biyahe,” she said.
The metro was inaugurated by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai and Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, at exactly 9:09:09 of September 9, 2009.
Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of the RTA Executive Directors, citing figures released by the RTA’s Statistics Section, meantime said that passengers using the Dubai’s public transport system increased last year to almost 543.6 million compared to 539.5 million in 2015.
The average daily passengers last year on Dubai’s public transport system, which comprises the metro, trams, buses, marine transit (abras, ferry, water taxi and water bus) and taxis (Dubai Taxi and franchise companies), was about 1.5 million.
Al Tayer said the Dubai Metro took the biggest portion of public transport commuters, accounting for 35 percent, followed by taxis at 33 percent and public buses at 28 percent. December recorded the highest number in commuters which reached 47 million passengers.
On the Green Line, Al Fahidi Station ranked first with 7.945m passengers, followed by Baniyas Station with 6.41m, and Stadium Station with 5.665m passengers, Al Tayer said.
