Bus

This is a typical workers' bus in the UAE.

The quality of buses is poor and lack of air conditioning makes many workers fear drivers could be put to sleep. This is after a horrific accident in Dubai on Saturday in which 13 labourers were killed when their bus ploughed into a stationary truck. Buses are made of aluminium, which is very delicate and bends easily. And in case of minor accidents, buses turn into piles of paper card. Taking the bus home after work is the “biggest challenge”, they say.

Drivers rise at 5am and start bringing workers to their sites from 6am. About 6pm they take the labourers home.

Accidents occur due to lack of attentiveness and drowsiness due to a lack of proper sleep. The biggest problem in these substandard buses is that they don’t have air-conditioning, and many workers, when they come back from work, fall unconscious due to heat inside buses, which were parked under the sun. On cooler days it’s fine to take non-air conditioned buses but during summer when the temperature reaches up to 50°C, the workers are scared of being “parboiled” inside.