Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority have launched a new bus route, and this one isn’t just around the city – three daily services now connect Dubai to Muscat, the capital of the neighbouring country of Oman. The buses pick up passengers from Abu Hail and Rashidiya metro stations, as well as Dubai Airport’s Terminal 2, and then make the six-hour journey across the border, stopping at a number of towns in Oman, plus the airport in Muscat.
In true Emirati style, the 50-seater coaches are being called ‘luxury’ and come equipped with free Wi-Fi. ‘The new bus service connecting Dubai and Muscat is going to open more channels for tourism and trade in both cities as it will make transportation faster, cheaper and easier for tourists and businesses’, Maqbool Modi, director of a Dubai-based company, said.
Tickets currently must be purchased in person, but they will soon be available to order in advance online or can be added onto a Nol card, the rechargeable pass that can be used across Dubai’s local transport system. A one-way ticket costs about US$15 (€13). Oman requires visas for most nationalities (only six countries are exempt), and passengers will be required to fill out their own applications.
Mwasalat, the company that runs Oman’s bus network, already offer a few routes between Oman and the United Arab Emirates, but other services are operated by private companies. ‘We at Mwasalat Oman are keen to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers travelling between the Sultanate and the UAE aboard sophisticated, safe and comfortable coaches custom-built for long trips’, Ahmed Bin Ali Albulushi, CEO of Mwasalat Oman, said. ‘I hope this step will herald the start of an integrated transport network between the two sisterly nations’.
Albulushi added that this route will be enhanced before the start of Dubai Expo 2020, but further details have not yet been released.
