Dubai Metro Sees Unprecedented Increase in Ridership
If you’ve been finding it increasingly difficult to secure a seat on the Dubai Metro, there’s a clear reason behind it. Recent statistics from the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) indicate that public transport usage has skyrocketed in the city. In 2024, a remarkable total of 747.1 million riders utilized various modes of public transport, shared mobility, and taxis.
A significant portion of this impressive figure came from the red and green metro lines, which recorded an astonishing 275.4 million riders over the past year. This marks a six percent increase compared to two years ago, shedding light on the crowded conditions many commuters have faced recently.
The RTA reported that the total number of trips across its public transport, shared mobility services, and taxis reached 153 million in 2024. Taxis alone accounted for over 115 million trips, while shared mobility services recorded approximately 32 million trips. Notably, October and November were the peak months, with ridership soaring.
The busiest metro stations included BurJuman and Union, serving both the red and green lines. BurJuman welcomed 16.2 million riders, while Union station recorded 12.9 million. On the Red Line, Al Rigga station topped the list with 13 million riders, followed closely by Mall of the Emirates station with around 11.2 million and Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall station with approximately 10.6 million riders. For the Green Line, Sharaf DG station had the highest ridership at 9.9 million, followed by Baniyas station with 8.4 million and Stadium station with 6.8 million riders.
The average daily ridership across all public transport modes jumped from 1.92 million in 2023 to 2 million in 2024. The Metro emerged as the most popular mode of transport, accounting for 37 percent of total ridership, while taxis represented 27 percent, public buses 25 percent, shared mobility 7.5 percent, marine transport 2.5 percent, and trams 1 percent.
October and November were notably busy, with 14.1 million trips taken, resulting in a staggering total of 69.9 million riders in November alone. (Credit: RTA)
In light of these impressive figures, Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Dubai’s RTA, shared that several initiatives are underway to enhance the city’s transport infrastructure. Plans are in place for the Dubai Metro to expand further, including the introduction of a new blue line and an ambitious goal to double the number of stations by 2040.
Additionally, six major roads in Dubai will soon feature dedicated taxi and bus lanes, which aim to improve bus arrival times by 42 percent and reduce overall travel times by 41 percent. Moreover, the city is exploring the implementation of a driverless, trackless tram across eight locations, with the potential for rapid deployment pending successful studies. Plans for self-driving buses equipped with cutting-edge artificial intelligence are also on the horizon, designed for short-distance travel with a capacity of 10 to 20 passengers.
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