175 m passengers use Abras to cross Dubai Creek shore

Mumbai, Aug 30 (UNI) A record 175 million passengers have used the Abras, motorized wooden boats with canopy, to cross the picturesque Dubai Creek shores in the past decade.

According to Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), as many as 175,522,186 passengers have been reported to have crossed the Creek using the traditional water taxis from 1995 until early this year, a release issued by Dubai Tourism Development Council said.

The total number of Abra trips made was 8,758,081. This phenomenal performance has been achieved with 149 Abras operated by 300 people, mostly from the subcontinent.

The release said over the past five years, there has been an increase of around seven per cent in the number of people using Abras. The numbers had increased from 13,500,000 in the year 1995 to 20,980,921 passengers last year. Up to 10,620,924 passengers were registered in the first half of this year. The number is expected to reach to 21,250,000 passengers.

The number of trips had increased from 675,000 trips in 1995 to 1,031,018 a year ago. The first half of this year recorded 531,046 trips and the numbers are expected to hike to 1,062,500.

There are a total of 149 Abras, all owned by the UAE citizens with low-income backgrounds. The water taxis are operated by 300 operators in two shifts in the morning and evening. All Abras operate from 0530 hrs till 2330 hrs and 10 Abras work round-the-clock, the release added.

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