Dubai sees surge in public transport use in H1 2024
Metro, taxis, and public buses prove popular
Approximately 361 million riders utilised various modes of public transport in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in the first half of 2024, representing a 6% increase from the 340.5 million riders in the first half of 2023.
Dubai’s public transit modes include the metro, tram, public buses, marine transport, taxis, e-hail vehicles, rental vehicles, and on-demand bus networks.
Dubai Metro, taxis, and public buses were the three most popular modes of transport across the emirate in H1 2024. Metro ridership accounted for 37% of passengers, followed by taxis at 27% and public buses at 24.5%.
The average daily ridership for all modes of public transport in Dubai for H1 2024 reached 1.98 million, up from 1.88 million in H1 2023. January 2024 witnessed the highest ridership with 65 million users, while the subsequent months until June 2024 ranged between 53 and 63 million.
Dubai Metro
During H1 2024, Dubai Metro’s Red and Green lines transported 133 million passengers, with BurJuman and Union interchange stations emerging as the busiest stations on the metro system, with 7.8 million and 6.3 million users, respectively.
On the Red Line, Al Rigga station led with 6.2 million users, followed by Mall of the Emirates and Business Bay stations. Sharaf DG station recorded the highest station ridership on the Green Line, with 4.7 million users.
Dubai Tram
During H1 2024, the Dubai Tram system carried 4.5 million passengers, public buses carried 89.2 million, and marine transport served 9.7 million users.
Shared mobility options, including e-hail vehicles and on-demand buses, accounted for 27.8 million passengers. Taxis, in particular, transported 97 million passengers.
Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Dubai’s RTA has attributed the H1 2024 public transport ridership growth to Dubai’s booming economy, Dubai’s RTA strategies, and diverse mobility options.
“Our strategic focus is on enhancing the integration of all transport modes and encouraging reduced reliance on private vehicles,” he said.
Dubai’s RTA aims to increase the share of public and shared transport journeys in the Gulf emirate to 25% by 2030, up from 20.9% in 2023.
Featured image: Dubai Metro ridership accounted for 37% of passengers in H1 2024. Credit: Dubai’s RTA
Last Updated on 5 months by Arnold Pinto
