The Royal Commission for Riyadh City today announced the launch of Stage 4 of the “Riyadh bus” service, part of the King Abdulaziz Project for Riyadh Public Transport (KAPT) network, which aims to provide world-class public transportation options to the residents and visitors of Riyadh and connects the capital’s neighborhoods and commercial clusters.
The “Riyadh bus” service has operated approximately 631 thousand trips transporting over 6 million passengers since its launch earlier this year.
The stage 4 of the “Riyadh bus” will expand the service to reach 40 routes covered by 614 buses that serve 1,632 bus stations and stops, covering 70% of the 1900 kilometers length of the network.
Connecting new localities and neighborhoods in the city of Riyadh, seven new routes have been added in stage 4: route 932 from AlRabea district to AlYasmeen station; route 933 from AlNuzha to AlTaawoun station; route 942 from Gulf district to AlRawda station; route 944 from AlAndalus Station to Gulf station; route 945 from Gulf district to AlNahda station; route 947 from AlShuhada station to AlMunsiah station; and route 948 from AlYarmouk district to AlYarmouk station. The addition of these new routes is expected to reduce private vehicles and increase public transportation usage for residents and visitors alike.
The Riyadh bus service is supported by an online portal offering a variety of options for passengers to learn more about the service, the bus routes, and ticket options. Passengers can also access services, including trip planning, through the ‘choose your destination’ feature, track the trip through the interactive map, and buy tickets through the “Riyadh bus” app that can be downloaded from Apple and Google stores.
The service offers multiple ticket options to accommodate the needs of Riyadh residents and visitors who can commute by paying via contactless bank debit/credit card or smart phones device on the bus, by purchasing a “Darb” card which acts as a digital wallet or buying tickets from the Ticket Vending Machines at select bus stations. A single ticket costs SAR 4 and is valid for 120 minutes upon activation. The service also offers more ticket options allowing passengers to buy 3, 7, and 30-days pass.