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A total of 348.1 million people used Dubai's public transport, shared mobility and taxis in the first half of 2026, the emirate's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced on Sunday, with an average daily ridership of nearly 1.9 million.

The figure, the authority added, covers Dubai Metro  and Tram, public buses and marine transport, in addition to taxis and shared mobility services, including app-based vehicles, hourly rentals and bus-on-demand service. Limousines carried 5.7 million riders during the same period.

Dubai Metro had the lion's share of the total ridership in the first half of this year at 39.2%, followed by taxis at 25.5% and public buses at 24.4%. "Together, these three modes accounted for around 89% of total ridership," said Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, Roads and Transport Authority.

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In the first half of the year, January recorded the highest ridership, with 73.4 million riders, while monthly ridership during the following months ranged between 49 million and 66 million.

Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, Roads and Transport AuthorityThis ecosystem is strengthening the confidence of residents and visitors in public transport and embedding a culture of sustainable mobility

"It had increased the share of trips made by public transport and shared mobility from 6% in 2006 to 22.3% in 2025, reflecting a continued shift towards more sustainable and efficient mobility patterns," he added.

Dubai Metro, Tram statistics

In the first six months of 2026, Dubai Metro, with its Red and Green Lines, carried around 136.5 million riders. BurJuman and Union, the two interchange stations serving both lines, topped the list of the busiest stations, with 8.4 million riders at BurJuman Station and 6.5 million at Union Station.

On the Red Line, Al Rigga Station recorded the highest ridership with 6.4 million riders, followed by Mall of the Emirates Station with 5.2 million, and Business Bay Station with 5 million.

On the Green Line, Sharaf DG Station ranked first with 4.9 million riders, followed by Baniyas Square Station with 3.8 million, and Stadium Station with around 3.7 million.

infographic on ridership in Dubai public transport during the first six months of 2026

Around 3.8 million riders used Dubai Tram, while public buses carried 85.1 million riders. Marine transport served 8.1 million riders across all modes. Shared mobility services, comprising app-based vehicles, hourly rentals and on-demand buses, carried 25.7 million riders, while taxis in Dubai carried 88.9 million riders during the first half of the year.

Future of mobility in Dubai

Looking ahead, Dubai is developing several transport projects that will strengthen connectivity and make residents' daily commute easier. These plans aim to increase the share of trips made by public transport and shared mobility to 25% by 2030.

Among these projects, there is the Dubai Metro Blue Line project, spanning 30 kilometres and comprising 14 stations. The line will serve nine key districts with an estimated population of around one million residents.

Dubai Metro Gold Line project has also been approved. Extending 42 kilometres and comprising 18 stations, with an estimated cost of Dh34 billion, it will be Dubai’s first fully underground metro line, equivalent to three times the length of the existing Dubai Metro tunnels. The Gold Line will connect with the Red and Green Lines of Dubai Metro, as well as Etihad Rail.

In addition to the new metro lines, RTA has started the phased deployment of 637 new buses of various sizes, all compliant with Euro 6 European low-emission standards. The fleet includes 40 electric buses that will expand public transport coverage across the emirate and support the plan to convert 100% of public transport buses to electric and hydrogen-powered buses by 2050.

Driverless taxis have also started operating in Dubai at the start of this year and RTA is preparing to launch the Air Taxi's commercial operations by the end of the year, while continuing to advance the Dubai Loop project.

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