Abu Dhabi DoT begins operations of 99 Mercedes-Benz Citaro city buses

Abu Dhabi Department of Transport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has recently received a delivery of 99 Mercedes-Benz Citaro city buses from Daimler Buses and has begun their operations in the city.

This is part of the transport department’s plan to expand and modernise the UAE capital’s integrated transport system.

The city buses, which are low-floor solo buses of the Mercedes-Benz Citaro type, were made at the Daimler Buses production facility in Mannheim, Germany.

Equipped with the Euro VI emissions standard, these buses are maintained under a five-year full-service contract from Emirates Motor Company Commercial Vehicles (EMC CV), which is the Mercedes-Benz authorised distributor in the Emirate.

Daimler Buses forayed into Abu Dhabi with 100 units of the Mercedes-Benz Citaro in 2009, and this is now the second major order in the country.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah have announced a restriction on the movement of people to and from other emirates to contain the spread of the virus.

For the early detection of cases, the UAE has opened 14 drive-through testing facilities.

Currently, the total number of cases in the country is at 5,825, with 1,095 total recoveries.

Last month, the Integrated Transport Centre in Abu Dhabi, along with its strategic partners, announced the implementation of major road projects at a cost of AED400m.

The road projects include improvement of the E11 / E12 intersection between Al Falah and Al Reef homes, at a cost of AED126m, the development of Al Faya – Saih Shuaib Road between the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Road and Emirates Road interchanges, at a cost of AED100m, and a road project linking the Shah field and the Mezaira area in Al Dhafra region, at AED174m.