702 million use Dubai’s public transport network in 2023
Work begins on Dubai Metro Blue Line project
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has revealed a substantial increase in the ridership of public transport and shared mobility for 2023 across Dubai emirate.
The total ridership, including Dubai Metro, Dubai Tram, public buses, marine transport, shared mobility, and taxis, reached 702 million riders in 2023, marking a 13% surge compared to the 621.4 million total ridership recorded in 2022.
Dubai Metro took the lead in attracting the most significant proportion of public transport, shared mobility, and taxi ridership in 2023, accounting for 37% of the total ridership, compared to 36% in 2022.
Taxis followed with 28%, and public buses garnered a 25% share. Shared mobility riders grew from 5% in 2022 to 6% in 2023, showcasing a positive shift towards public transport modes.
December 2023 recorded an all-time high monthly ridership of 64.9 million, coinciding with the UAE’s hosting of the Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 28), followed closely by October and November.
Public transport shared mobility, and taxis made 144 million trips, with October being the busiest month, recording 13.3 million visits.
Consistent annual growth
Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chair of the Board of Executive Directors at Dubai’s RTA, highlighted the consistent annual growth in public transport usage in Dubai.
He stressed the 34% rise in shared mobility ridership in 2023, compared to 2022, attributing these indicators to substantial investments and concerted efforts by his agency to promote public transport in Dubai emirate.
“These indicators stem from substantial investments and concerted efforts to promote public transport, highlighted by the launch of Dubai Metro, the world’s longest driverless metro network extending 90km, the 11km-long Dubai Tram, and the extension of public bus routes,” said Al Tayer.
He also emphasised the deployment of a fleet of public buses with low carbon emissions and an integrated marine transport network.
Expanding on the plans for the future, Al Tayer said: “[Dubai’s] RTA is consistently expanding and upgrading the public transport network. The year 2024 marks the commencement of the Dubai Metro Blue Line project, which will stretch over 30km, connecting key areas in Dubai to cope with the projected demographic growth.”
Figures released by the Dubai-based Enterprise Command and Control Centre indicate that the number of riders using Dubai Metro’s Red and Green Lines amounted to 260 million in 2023, reflecting a growth of 15% compared to 2022.
BurJuman and Union Stations – the two interchange stations on the Red and Green Lines – accounted for the largest share of Dubai Metro ridership.
In 2023, the Dubai Tram network carried 8.84 million passengers, public buses saw ridership of 173.5 million, marine transport accounted for 17.43 million passengers, shared mobility carried 43.61 million passengers, and taxis transported 198.44 million passengers.
Featured image: The Dubai Metro network carried 250 million passengers in 2023. Image: Dubai’s RTA
Last Updated on 10 months by Arnold Pinto
