747 Million Riders Used Public Transport, Shared Mobility, and Taxis in 2024

Post by: Elena Malik

Photo : Dubai Government Media Office

The public transport and shared mobility services in Dubai transported 747.1 million riders in 2024, growing by 6.4% from the previous year. This operated on the network of Dubai Metro, Dubai Tram, buses, marine transport through abras, ferries, and water taxis, and shared mobility through ride-hailing and hourly rentals and taxis offered by Dubai Taxi and franchise taxis. On average, 2 million people availed services in the said items each day. This is a reported rise from 1.92 million in the year 2023.

In total, public transport, shared mobility, and taxis made 153 million trips in 2024. More specifically, taxi companies made more than 115 million trips, while shared mobility services recorded about 32 million trips.

The highest number of trips was during the months of October and November, whose figures reached 14.1 million trips each month. Nearly 69.9 million riders passed through during November, making it the ridership with a close second by October, which registered 68.4 million riders. December recorded nearly 68 million riders.
Ridership of Shared Mobility Users Increased

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His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), was happy to see consistent growth in public transport ridership, including a 28% rise in shared mobility users compared to 2023. He said that this success is the result of massive investments in improving Dubai's public transport network.

For instance, the Dubai Metro stretches to about 90 km, and the Dubai Tram covers approximately 11 km. The bus system has also expanded, with 3,974 km in 2024 up from 2,095 km as of 2006. Buses in Dubai adhere to European low-emission standards. The city has an efficient marine transport structure which encompasses the traditional abras, the Dubai Ferry, and water taxis.

Future Plans

Al Tayer stressed RTA's commitment to expanding and improving public transport in Dubai, making it the first choice for residents and visitors alike. Among the major steps toward this end is the awarding of a contract for the Dubai Metro Blue Line project, which was given in December. The new 30-kilometre line will connect 14 stations and provide a direct link to Dubai International Airport. It will cover nearly one million people under the Dubai 2040 Urban Plan.

Dedicated bus lanes and taxi lanes for the RTA have also been planned for 2025 and 2026. Two of the purposes behind this are to increase ridership by 10% to benefit in total travel time reduction up to 41%, including a 42% benefit in terms of arrival time for buses. There will be six new lanes that amount to 13km.

RTA is also testing new technologies such as a trackless tram system that uses electric power and camera-based lane tracking technology. It is an environment-friendly system which could be more efficient and less expensive than a traditional tram system. There are also studies into self-driving buses that can be used for short trips at 40 km/h.

Public Transport Ridership Composition

In 2024, the Dubai Metro accounted for the largest portion of public transport ridership, with 37% of total riders. Taxis followed with 27%, a slight drop from 2023, but still a key mode of transport. Public buses made up 25% of the ridership, a slight increase from 2023, while shared mobility services increased their share from 6% to 7.5%. Marine transport and the Dubai Tram maintained their shares at 2.5% and 1%, respectively.

The Red and Green Lines of the Dubai Metro have 275.4 million riders in 2024, an increase of 6% compared to 2023. BurJuman, Union, and Mall of the Emirates were the top stations for the Red Line, while the Sharaf DG, Baniyas, and Stadium stations saw the highest number of riders for the Green Line.
Detailed Ridership Numbers

Public buses carried 187.7 million riders in 2024. This is up by 8% from the previous year 2023. Marine transport services carried 18 million riders. This is an increase of 3%. Dubai Tram had 9.4 million riders. This was an increase of 6%. Shared mobility services increased significantly to 56 million riders, representing a 28% increase. Taxis continue to be an integral part of the transport network, with 200.6 million riders. This is up by 1% from the previous year. Lastly, luxury transport services, such as limousines, were used by 19 million people in 2024.

These are impressive numbers, though, reflecting the continued efforts by Dubai to enlarge and enhance its public transport and shared mobility offers. Indeed, with new projects currently in motion and future plans in place, RTA is keen on continuing to make public transport the preferred option for residents and visitors alike.

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