Dubai clocks 450 million public transport riders in 8 months

Around 450 million riders used public transport in Dubai in the first eight months of 2023, marking a 12 per cent increase year-on-year.

Dubai Metro was the most popular mode, serving 167 million riders, while taxis catered to 130 million users and public buses served 111 million commuters.

Marine transport ferried 11 million passengers, and Dubai Tram served 5.6 million riders.

Shared transportation means, including e-hail, smart rentals, and Bus-on-Demand, served about 26 million passengers. 

The stats were released by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), coinciding with its 18th anniversary and the 14th Public Transport Day initiative.

This year's Public Transport Day campaign runs from October 24 to November 8 under the theme "Gym on the Go", which focuses on public health and physical fitness of the community.

His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General, Chairman of the Board of Directors, said, "RTA's efforts to develop a comprehensive transportation network has contributed to Dubai being one of the biggest urban economies worldwide. Such endeavours drive environmental… pic.twitter.com/BdbneUVx3c

— RTA (@rta_dubai) October 30, 2023

Integrated Network

Between 2006 and 2022, Dubai's road network expanded from 8,715 lane-km to 18,768 lane-km, and the number of bridges and tunnels increased from 129 to 988.

During the same period, the number of footbridges and subways (including Dubai Metro and Tram facilities) increased more than fourfold from 26 to 122.

Likewise, the cycling lanes experienced exponential growth from 9 km to 543 km and will reach 833 km by 2026.

Coastal areas like Jumeirah, Al Sufouh, and Marina will be connected to outer tracks at Al Qudra, Saih Al Salam, and Nad Al Sheba across Al Barsha, Dubai Hills, and Nad Al Sheba.

Sustainable Transport

The RTA's ‘Zero-Emissions Public Transportation in Dubai 2050’ strategy aims to mitigate climate change impacts and decrease the carbon footprint across all its operations, including transforming 100 per cent of public buses to electric and hydrogen-powered by 2050 and transforming taxis and limousines fully to electric or hydrogen-driven vehicles by 2040.

Smart Mobility

The RTA is forging ahead with Dubai’s strategy to transform 25 per cent of all mobility journeys into smart self-driving trips by 2030.

It has already accomplished the preliminary stage of preparing digital maps to facilitate the operation of Cruise’s 'Origin' autonomous vehicles.

The service will make its debut later this year, positioning Dubai as the first city outside the United States to operate Cruise autonomous vehicles commercially.

In 2023, five Cruise autonomous vehicles dedicated to taxi and e-hail services will be introduced. The fleet will expand to 4,000 cars by 2030.