DUBAI: Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has shared some impressive numbers for Dubai public transport and shared mobility in the first half of 2024. In this period, about 361.2 million people used various transport options, including the Metro, Tram, public buses, marine transport, taxis, e-hail vehicles, smart rental cars, and on-demand buses. This is a 6 percent increase from the 340.5 million users in the same period last year. On average, 1.98 million people used these services daily, up from 1.88 million in the first half of 2023.
Mattar Al Tayer, the Director General and Chairman of the RTA, noted that the Dubai Metro and taxis were the most popular, with the Metro making up 37 percent of the total ridership and taxis 27 percent. Public buses followed with 24.5 percent. January 2024 saw the highest usage, with 65 million riders, while other months ranged between 53 and 63 million.
Al Tayer highlighted that this 6 percent growth reflects Dubai’s strong economic performance and the effectiveness of RTA’s efforts to promote public transport. The city’s well-connected transport system has made using public transport more common among residents and visitors.
The Metro’s Red and Green Lines carried 133 million passengers, with BurJuman and Union stations being the busiest. The Tram transported 4.5 million passengers, public buses served 89.2 million people, and marine transport had 9.7 million users. Shared mobility options like e-hail vehicles and smart rentals accounted for 27.8 million rides, while taxis served 97 million passengers.
Al Tayer emphasised that RTA’s plans focus on integrating all transport modes to improve mobility across Dubai. The goal is to make public and shared transport more prominent, aiming for a 25 percent share of journeys by 2030, up from 20.9 percent at the end of 2023.
