With the opportunity to enjoy a public holiday on Saturday, October 8, UAE residents can also take advantage of free public parking in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
You will be able to use other public transportation facilities for free during the holiday, in addition to free parking.
Here are the specifics as announced by each Emirate’s transportation authorities.
Abu Dhabi
The Integrated Transport Centre (ITC) of Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipalities and Transport announced the timings and operation of its public parking, Darb toll gates, and public buses on October 6th.
Free surface parking: ‘Surface parking,’ excluding multi-stoery car parks in the Emirate, will be free of charge during the holiday, beginning Saturday and ending at 7.59 a.m. on Monday, October 10. During the official holiday, parking spaces at the Musaffah M-18 truck parking lot will also be free of charge.
However, the ITC reminded motorists to follow parking guidelines and not park in prohibited areas that impede traffic flow. It also advised drivers to avoid parking in residential areas between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m.
No toll fee: The ITC announced that the Darb toll gate system will be free of charge on Saturday, and will reopen on Monday, October 10), during regular peak hours (from 7 am to 9 am and from 5 pm to 7 pm).
Customer Happiness Centres: On Saturday, October 8, all Customer Happiness Centres in Abu Dhabi will be closed. Customers can, however, visit the authority’s website – itc.gov.ae – as well as the ‘Darb’ and ‘Darbi’ smart apps, which are available for both Apple and Android devices or call the call centre at 800850.
Sharjah
Sharjah City Municipality also announced on October 6 that all public parking spaces in the city will be free on Saturday, October 8.
The decision excludes paid parking spaces in zones that are subject to the paid parking system on weekends and holidays. The blue parking information signs identify the paid zones.