Dubai's RTA Reports 361 Million Public Transport Users in H1 2024, 1.98 Million Daily

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced that about 361.2 million people used public transport and shared mobility options in the emirate such as the Metro, Tram, buses, marine transport, taxis, e-hail vehicles, smart rental cars, and on-demand buses, in the first half of 2024.

The daily average number of riders this year rose to 1.98 million, up from 1.88 million in the same period in 2023, showing a 6% increase from around 340.5 million users in the first half of 2023, WAM reported.

Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA, said that Dubai Metro and taxis accounted for the largest share of public transport riders with 37% for the metro and 27% for taxis.

"Public buses accounted for 24.5% of riders. January 2024 saw the highest number with 65 million users, while the remaining months ranged between 53 and 63 million," Al Tayer said.

He noted that this growth is "a key indicator of Dubai's economic boom, the effectiveness of RTA's plans to encourage residents and visitors to use public transport and the availability of diverse mobility options in the emirate."

The director general emphasized that Dubai's public transport system has changed how many residents use public transport.

He shared that Dubai Metro's Red and Green Lines carried 133 million passengers, while the busiest stations were BurJuman with 7.8 million users, and Union with 6.3 million. Whereas, on the Red Line, Al Rigga station had the most passengers with 6.2 million, followed by Mall of the Emirates with 5.6 million, and Business Bay with 5.2 million.

On the Green Line, Sharaf DG station was the busiest with 4.7 million users, followed by Baniyas station with 4.1 million, and Stadium Station with 3.3 million people.

Dubai Tram carried 4.5 million passengers, while public buses transported 89.2 million people. Marine transport was used by 9.7 million people. Shared mobility options, such as e-hail vehicles, hourly rental cars, and on-demand buses, served 27.8 million passengers.

Taxis in Dubai carried 97 million passengers in the first half of the year. Al Tayer highlighted that RTA's strategic and operational plans are based on achieving multi-modal integration of all public transport and shared mobility means to ensure smooth mobility across Dubai.

Last month, RTA launched a smart inspection vehicle trial operation using advanced technology and cameras to monitor rail areas and detect violations, restricted activities and damage.