Today there's a report that they're shuttling between Bur Dubai and Deira just about empty. The reason, people said, was the cost - the abra fare is Dh1 while the water bus is Dh4.
Commuting across the Creek each day, as many people do, will cost Dh10 a week the traditional way and Dh40 a week by water bus. That's a huge difference and simply not worth it for a few minutes of air-conditioning.
Maybe in the worst of the summer months their business will increase but I can't see them being a success for most of the year. And that leads me to a horrible thought - as they cost Dh700,000 each you don't think our beloved RTA might consider getting rid of the abra fleet to ensure their success do you?
But on to what I actually was going to say. The design.
What we were shown before they went into service was what I said at the time was a good, appropriate design. They had a sleek but retro look about them, fitting in with the look of the dhows and the abras that fill the Creek.
The real thing is a squat, compressed, ugly shape that looks horribly out of place on the Creek.
Too short, too compressed, too high. They look as though they were cobbled together by an amateur in his backyard.
2 comments:
...what's the need for AC outdoors these days with the chilly breeze!
If these water buses are no longer going to be needed, I'll buy one...is there Salik on the Creek, though? :P
Looks like a floating greenhouse!
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