Pictures from the past Abras

The abra has long been a godsend for the thousands of commuters who spend just Dh1 and a matter of minutes to get from Bur Dubai to Deira, or vice versa. This shot from June 1981 shows the abra station in Bur Dubai.

The abra has long been a godsend for the thousands of commuters who spend just Dh1 and a matter of minutes to get from Bur Dubai to Deira, or vice versa. This shot from June 1981 shows the abra station in Bur Dubai.

These men are seen inside the abra station in Bur Dubai in this photo from June 1981. An abra driver will make the short journey across the Creek an average of 200 times a day.

The abras often don't line up right alongside the multiple jetties on either side - they simply pull up to another boat that might be parked and travellers stride from their boat and down the length of the other before jumping off on to the concrete steps on land.

A shot from July 1982. Most abras have a maximum load of 20 passengers, and abras can also be hired out by the hour for a higher price for those wishing to see more of the Creek.

One of the biggest attractions to tourists using abras is the large number of vendors who sell goods at both sides of the Creek near the abra stations. Food, spices, textiles, jewellery and a whole host of other weird and wonderful objects can be bought.

For many, the quick and affordable abra ride is greatly preferable to crossing the Creek via the various other roads and tunnels linking Deira to Bur Dubai. Abras are seen in this shot from July 1984.

Abras line up for business in this March 1985 shot. These days, more and more tourists are taking advantage of the facility, using the abras as an opportunity to see Dubai from its main waterway, a waterway that was the city's main economic artery.

For many people, like these commuters pictured in February 1986, the Creek is the only obstacle between their home and their workplace, so these water taxis are ideal.

The well-used underpass which enables people to cross the busy road at the Deira abra station is pictured in this aerial shot from October 1988. The tunnel is a must for people wanting to reach the gold souq.

Customers line up to purchase electrical goods near the abra station in Deira in this shot from November 1993.

In July 2007, the RTA launched air conditioned 'water buses', but these have not hindered the popularity of abras. This snap shows the Creek in February 1997.

Abra drivers work an average of 16 hours a day. Here, men are seen drinking near an abra station in June 1998.

In recent years, Dubai Municipality has spruced up the abra services, adding lighting markers, a customer service stand and regulating the safety aspects of the flotilla of boats that crisscross the Creek every few minutes.

A much loved part of traditional life, abras remain one of the most popular and affordable means of transportation in Dubai.