How much it costs UAE residents to travel to work



The cost of travelling to work has almost doubled over the past five years. So says research released this week by Regus. The global workplace provider calculates that workers now spend an average 5 per cent of their annual net take-home income on their commute – a rise on the 3 per cent spent in 2010.

“In the UAE, individuals travel from their home in Sharjah, Ajman or Ras Al Khaimah to work in Dubai or Abu Dhabi on a daily basis. This has an impact on both their lifestyle, free time and their wallet,” says Kory Thompson, country manager for Regus, of the study of 44,000 business people across more than 100 countries, including the UAE. “With living costs rising, every dirham counts, yet travel expenses are accounting for a larger slice of workers’ yearly outgoings, not to mention travel time.”

The UAE is investing heavily in its public transport network. This month, Dubai Metro announced a 15-kilometre extension in preparation for Dubai Expo 2020, and the Abu Dhabi metro system should be operational by 2017.

However, many residents still drive their car to work with the present rate of private car ownership in Dubai, for example, 541 cars for every 1,000 people, according to Dubai’s Road Transport Authority.

“While we all dream of just walking a few steps between our home and our workplace, the reality looks different for most of us,” says Thomas Edelmann, founder and managing director of RoadSafetyUAE.com. “The indirect cost caused by traffic congestion for Dubai alone was almost Dh3 billion in 2013, and the use of public transportation [7 per cent] is low.”

Here The National profiles nine very different UAE commuters, from a resident who walks to the office to someone who flies from Abu Dhabi to their workplace in Qatar. Naturally those opting for a plane or car as their mode of transport have the most expensive commuting bills each month.

“Interestingly, however, the most affordable ways to commute, namely walking and cycling come with low direct cost and low cost to the society. In addition those modes of commuting even offer benefits to our health, which can also result in cost benefits,” says Mr Edelmann, who also recommends car pooling as a cost-saving alternative.

“The push towards mixed-use real estate developments, a maturing in the mindset of employers linked to encouraging more flex-work and work from home can also all contribute positively,” he adds.

Bicycle

Sherlito Daya, 30, is a sports officer from the Philippines. For the past two years, he has been cycling to his workplace at HCT Abu Dhabi Men’s College on Muroor Road.

“I live near the old Zayed University on Delma Street, so it’s a 4km round trip [85km a month]. I cycle to save money, to keep fit, and also because I enjoy it. I cycle my mountain bike on the road and haven’t had any accidents yet, but last summer I had an asthma attack from not using a mask in a sandstorm.”

Dh4.72 (Mr Daya changes his tyres every 18 months for Dh85)

Metro

Marilyne Lopes is a French physiotherapist for Kuur Rehabilitation in Dubai and takes the metro daily between World Trade Centre to Internet City.

“In the metro’s economy class I have to squeeze myself in and sometimes I can’t, making me late for work. In gold class I can at least stand with a little bit of distance from others. I applied for a special personal card to get a gold monthly pass, which is more economical. When I get off the metro, I then walk a 2km pathway to my workplace. I do take taxis occasionally, which is the quickest way but it costs me Dh45 each time – at Dh1,800 a month that just doesn’t make economical sense.”

Time taken: 37 hours a month (55 minutes each way - 25 minutes walking and 30 minutes by metro)

Monthly cost: Dh400 (Dh10 per journey in gold class)

Plane

Briton Jamie Martin, 41, flies 2,672km a month (plus 280km by taxi) between Abu Dhabi and Doha for his job at Atkins Design, an engineering and project management consultancy firm.

“I’ve spent the past three years commuting to Doha, usually leaving on Sundays and coming back to my family in Abu Dhabi on Thursdays,” says Mr Martin. “With Etihad’s multiflyer offer, once a month I get to fly business class but it’s not really worth it for the 40 minutes I’m in the air. Passport control is fine at this end, but in Doha I can spend up to an hour queuing to get through.”

Time taken (door-to-door): 32 hours per month (four hours per journey)

Monthly cost: Dh6,500 (Dh6,000 in flights and Dh500 for taxis; for every eight flights Mr Martin receives one free flight on the multiflyer deal)

Car

Emirati Saeed Al Darmaki, 34, drives 30km from his home in Golf Gardens to Abu Dhabi Investment Authority on the Corniche in his newly acquired Mercedes A45. A petrol tank costs him Dh85 and can last 500km. “It’s the most powerful and economical two-litre engine on the market because of the technology on the turbo engine. So although the car itself was expensive, it doesn’t cost me so much to fill it up. You can squeeze 330 horsepower, so it’s pretty fast.”

Time taken: 23 hours a month (35 minutes per journey because of traffic)

Monthly cost: Dh492 (A monthly commute of 1,200km costs Dh200 in petrol. Annual servicing costs Dh3,500 or Dh292 a month.)

Bus

South African teacher Elaine Van Heerden, 48, takes the bus from outside her Abu Dhabi hotel apartment to school every day.

“I buy a bus pass for the month but I can use it anywhere in Abu Dhabi,” she says “It’s basically Dh2 per ride but if you buy a card for Dh80, you score. I don’t want to drive here. There’s not enough parking and I don’t see myself spending lots of money on private cars. I’m basically not here to spend, I’m here to save money.”

Time taken: 25 hours a month (38 minutes per journey)

Monthly cost: Dh80 for a monthly bus ticket

Ferry

Emirati Jasim Al Hammadi, who works for Al Shaheen Training and Consultancy Company, travels to Delma Island in the Western Region once a week, driving 547km from Khor Fakkan in Sharjah – making his one of the longest commutes possible within the UAE. He crosses the final 22 nautical miles by ferry, which takes 90 minutes each way. “I have customers there, so I stay overnight and come back. I often need a car when I’m over there, so I usually get the ferry.”

He also makes a 660km round trip twice a week between Khor Fakkan and the military camp he resides in when he is working in Abu Dhabi.

“There are a lot of people travelling from Khor Fakkan and Fujairah to Abu Dhabi, because the capital is where the work is,” says Mr Al Hammadi. “I have a land cruiser and it costs around Dh200 to fill up the tank, which lasts for 800km.

Time taken: 93 hours a month (five-hour round trip between Abu Dhabi and Khor Fakkan twice a week, and 13 hours 20 minute round trip from Khor Fakkan to Delma Island once a week)

Monthly cost: Dh3,800 (this includes servicing at approximately Dh300 a week, nine tanks of petrol and four return ferry journeys of Dh200)

Tram

Arezu Sheikhzada, 22, an accounting student from Afghanistan, takes the tram every day to traverse the 3km from her residence in the Marina to her college at Knowledge Village. “It’s actually very good, and there’s always a place to sit. I enjoy it. But the tram sometimes takes more than 17 minutes to arrive. It should be more frequent.”

Time taken: Seven hours per month (10 minutes for 3 stops)

Monthly cost: Dh120 (Dh3 per journey)

On foot

Briton Brian Murray, 22, has walked 2km to work since he started teaching maths and physics at Choueifat International School in Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi last August.

“I don’t have a driver’s licence, so I try to walk everywhere in Abu Dhabi rather than get a taxi – mainly to save money. Last summer when it was unbearably hot and I saw a taxi, I’d cave in and pay the Dh5 fare. But that was only under extreme circumstances.”

Time taken: 10 hours a month (15 minutes per walk)

Monthly cost: Free

Taxi

John Winner, 51 from Chicago, flags down a taxi from his flat in Khalidiyah for the 4.5km journey to the offices of Keo-Design on Hamdan Street, Abu Dhabi, for his job as head of architecture.

“It’s a nice, short commute. I frequently walk home in the cooler months but always cab to work in the morning. The walk home takes about 45 minutes door-to-door.”

Time taken: Six hours (up to 10 minutes in the taxi)

Monthly cost (when not walking): Dh520 (each journey costs Dh13, which includes a Dh2 tip)

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Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

Three-day coronation

Royal purification

The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.

The crown

Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.

The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.

The audience

On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.

The procession

The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.

Meet the people

On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

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The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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Water waste

In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.

Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.

A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.

The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.

Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

THE SPECS

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo

Power: 275hp at 6,600rpm

Torque: 353Nm from 1,450-4,700rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto

Top speed: 250kph

Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: Dh146,999

The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
Profile of VoucherSkout

Date of launch: November 2016

Founder: David Tobias

Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers

Sector: Technology

Size: 18 employees

Stage: Embarking on a Series A round to raise $5 million in the first quarter of 2019 with a 20 per cent stake

Investors: Seed round was self-funded with “millions of dollars” 

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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The specs

Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre

Power: 325hp

Torque: 500Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh189,700

On sale: now

What drives subscription retailing?

Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.

The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.

The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.

The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.

UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.

That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.

Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding

Reputation

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