Plastic Bottles Could Give you a Free Bus Ride n Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi has a new initiative encouraging public transport passengers to obtain free trips on public buses by gaining points each time they hand in empty plastic bottles, which are then used to pay for bus fares.

A "Points for Plastic: the Bus Tariff" i plastics deposit machine will be installed in Abu Dhabi’s main bus station, enabling passengers to exchange empty plastic containers for points, which will be calculated as follows.

Each single small bottle (600 ml or less) will gain 1 point, while larger containers or bottles exceeding 600 ml will gain 2 points. Each point is equal 10 fils, so 10 points equals AED 1.

The initiative has been launched in cooperation with Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD), Abu Dhabi Waste Management Centre "Tadweer", and "DGrade".

The points balance can be compiled and transferred to the "Hafilat" Personalised Bus Card, the ITC automated payment system, which calculates the fare required for the trip and automatically deducts it from the cash value stored in the card via the tariff machines installed at bus entrances and exits.