It hasn’t taken long for Abu Dhabi to make its mark on the world tourism map; the recent F1 Grand Prix and talk of the eagerly awaited Guggenheim and Louvre have raised the bar considerably. And what better way to see the city sights than on a breezy double decker bus ride around the city with the Big Bus Company?
So Abu Dhabi Week met up with Hamza, the Big Bus Company’s driver supervisor, for a taste of his typical working day. Originally from Pakistan, the friendly driver previously worked for the company in Dubai; he has been with Big Bus Tours for 18 months.
7am: Hamza reports promptly to the Big Bus Company HQ in Mussafah, close to where he lives. “I prepare the buses by checking to make sure they’re all clean and functioning and to check that the language systems work – we currently offer eight languages and plan to expand the range soon. I organise the bus schedules for the day, as well as assign duties to a team of around 12 bus drivers. I then organise the tour brochures and send the buses off to Marina Mall.”
8am: Arrive at Marina Mall, where the tour starts from. “Before we start the tours, I do a quick circuit of the route (which passes by Emirates Palace, Sheikh Zayed Mosque, along the Corniche, by Al Hosn Fort and the Cultural Foundation and past the Iranian Market and Heritage Village, to name a few spots) to check the traffic situation.”
9am: The first tour starts. Tours continue to run every half-hour until 5pm.
12pm: Hamza grabs a quick lunch at one of the fast-food outlets at the mall, after which he gives a general helping hand to the drivers and salespeople. He also meets the operations manager for a quick update.
5pm: Back to the depot. “The buses come back in shortly after and I begin to perform checks on each of them. I ask the drivers if there were any problems – if so, we inform the relevant technicians so they can fix it.”
7pm: The day ends. “I usually hang around this area a little later, roam around the beautiful city a bit and think about other possible locations we could put on the tour. Yas Island is a possibility, as well as some of the other islands. We’ll see ...”
Final thoughts: “I am very appreciative of this opportunity to stay and work in such a beautiful city. I love supervising, love the team, and am quite content with my job.”
Kara Martin
