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Dubai records 702 million riders in 2023, as daily public transport usage hit 1.92 million

RTA reports 13% surge in ridership in 2023 compared to 2022, and December touched a peak of 64.9 million commuters

The number of passengers of public transport and shared mobility in Dubai amounted to around 702 million riders in 2023. It reflects an increase of 13 per cent when compared to the ridership numbers in 2022, which was 621.4 million. The average daily ridership of public transport, shared mobility and taxis clocked 1.92 million in 2023 compared to 1.7 million riders in 2022, according to Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, RTA, expressed his delight over the consistent annual increase in public transport usage, as well as the 34 per cent rise in shared mobility ridership compared to 2022.

“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 90 km, the 11 km-long Dubai Tram, and the extension of the bus routes from 2,095 km to 3,967 km (in both directions) from 2006 to 2023.

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It also includes deploying a modern fleet of public buses comprising 1,400 buses compatible with the European specifications for low carbon emissions "Euro 6", and operating an integrated marine transport network including traditional Abras, Dubai Ferry, and water taxis,” said Al Tayer.

Expanding public transport

“RTA is consistently expanding and upgrading the public transport network. 2024 is set to mark the commencement of the Dubai Metro Blue Line project, which will stretch over a total of 30 km, with 15.5 km running underground and 14.5 km above ground.

"The project encompasses 14 stations including 3 interchange stations, connecting key areas in Dubai to cope with the projected demographic growth of surrounding areas to one million people as per the Dubai Urban Master Plan 2040. It also integrates with the Red and Green lines of the Metro, offering a direct link between Dubai International Airport and nine principal areas situated along its route. The journey time between these destinations is expected to vary from 10 to 25 minutes,” added Al Tayer.

“Dubai Metro attracted the largest proportion of the public transport, shared mobility and taxi ridership in 2023, amounting to 37%, compared to 36% in 2022, whereas, taxis acquired 28% compared to 29.5% in 2022. It is a good indicator of people shifting to public transport modes that serve a growing number of riders.

"The share of public bus riders hit 25%, and shared mobility riders grew from 5% in 2022 to 6% in 2023. Meanwhile, marine transport and Dubai Tram maintained their ridership levels, which amounted to 3% for marine transport, and 1% for Dubai Tram.

“December 2023 recorded an all-time high monthly ridership touching 64.9 million coinciding with the UAE's hosting of the Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 28), followed by October which saw 64.2 million riders, and November which recorded 64 million riders. Ridership rates in other months ranged from 54 to 60 million.

Public transport and shared mobility means as well as taxis made 144 million trips, with over 114 million for taxis, and 25 million for shared mobility. October was the busiest month in terms of the number of trips recording 13.3 million trips, followed by November and December with 13 million trips each,” explained Al Tayer.

Dubai Metro riders

Figures released by the Enterprise Command and Control Centre (EC3) indicated that the number of riders using Dubai Metro’s Red and Green Lines amounted to 260 million riders in 2023, reflecting a growth of 15% compared to 2022. Burjuman and Union Stations, which are interchange stations on the Red and Green Lines, accounted for the largest share of Dubai Metro ridership in 2023.

On both the Red and Green Lines, Burjuman Station served 15 million riders, whereas the Union Station served 11.9 million riders. On the Red Line, Al Rigga Station attracted the highest number of riders reaching 11.7 million, followed by Mall of the Emirates Station with 11 million, and Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Station with over 10 million.

On the Green Line, Sharaf DG Station ranked first in terms of riders recording 9.3 million ahead of Baniyas Station with 8.2 million followed by the Stadium Station with 6.3 million.

Transport riders

In 2023, the Dubai Tram served 8.84 million passengers, marking an 18% rise from 2022. Public buses saw ridership of 173.5 million, up by 10%. Marine transport means, including abras, water buses, water taxis, and the Dubai Ferry, accounted for 17.43 million passengers, showing a 9% increase.

Shared mobility means comprising e-hail, smart car rental, and Bus-On-Demand, carried 43.61 million passengers, reflecting a substantial 34% growth. Taxis, encompassing Dubai Taxi Company and franchise companies, transported 198.44 million passengers, registering an 8% increase over 2022.

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