The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has initiated a trial operation of an electric bus that operates on line F13, the feeder for metro stations.

The bus travels from the bus shelter station in Al Quoz, passing through areas such as Burj Khalifa, the Downtown Hotel, Dubai Fountain, and the Dubai Metro Bus Stop area of the mall to the south.

 The electric bus is equipped with ultra-advanced technologies, including a transparent display that displays basic information on the windshield to facilitate driving, and other smart and modern features.

The authority aims to run mass transit backed by the newest smart and eco-friendly technologies, which details its efforts to transition mass transit to zero-carbon transportation by 2050. The bus is made to fit the local environment of the emirate of Dubai, boasts the best air conditioning system in its class, and has 470 kWh of batteries. It is the largest of the authority's fleet of electric buses, and when the battery is fully charged, it can travel up to 370 kilometers. It is a 12-meter-long city bus with a capacity of 76 passengers (41 seats and parking space for 35 passengers).

The new bus from Volvo

"The technologies offered by the new Volvo bus will allow the authority's team to achieve results that contribute to the adoption of new ideas and specifications in future buses, raising the levels of performance and safety during the trip," stated Marwan Al Zarooni, director of the bus department at the public transport corporation in the authority.

"Within the public transport corporation's fleet and on a crucial line with passengers, the authority will monitor the environmental benefits resulting from the operation of the electric bus," he continued. "They will measure the percentage of low carbon emissions, the actual distance traveled by the bus when fully charged, and the bus's ability to meet the operational needs of the emirate of Dubai during various weather conditions, especially during the summer."