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Dubai RTA experienced 33.2 per cent increase in ridership in 2021

Posted: 28 February 2022 | | No comments yet

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority served approximately 461 million riders in 2021, representing a 115 million rider increase compared to 2020.

Dubai’s RTA reports that 461 million riders have used mass transit means, shared transport and taxis in 2021

Credit: Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced that the number of riders that used public transport, shared transport and taxis across Dubai in 2021 amounted to approximately 461 million riders. This includes the use of the metro, tram, public buses, marine transport means (abras, ferry, water taxi and water bus), e-hail vehicles and taxis (Dubai Taxi and franchise companies).

The latest figures outline a 33.2 per cent increase in 2021 from the 346 million riders that were recorded in 2020. In 2021, the daily average of riders using mass transit means and taxis reached 1.3 million riders, compared to a daily average of 948,000 riders reported in 2020.

The Dubai Metro and taxis accounted for the biggest share in the number of riders using public transport, shared transport and taxis, with a share of 34 per cent for taxis and 33 per cent for the Dubai Metro, respectively. Meanwhile, the share of public buses amounted to 25 per cent of the total number of public transport commuters.

“These results confirm that public transport operation is back to normal following COVID-19 and is a reflection of the high confidence of public transport users in the efficiency of the preventive and precautionary measures that RTA had initiated to curb the spread of the pandemic right from the start,” said His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority.

Furthermore, the total number of metro riders on both the Red and Green Lines reached 151.3 million riders in 2021, with Burjuman and the Union Stations (transfer stations on the Red and Green Lines), accounting for the biggest number of metro riders that year. Approximately 8.8 million riders used Burjuman Station on both the Red and Green Lines, while the Union Station was used by 7.5 million riders across both lines.

Additionally, Dubai Tram carried 5.34 million riders, public buses served 116.3 million riders and marine transport means moved 10.94 million riders in 2021. Shared transport means (e-hail vehicles and smart rental vehicles) were also used by 22.9 million riders and taxis (Dubai Taxi and franchise companies) carried 154.7 million riders.

“These results highlight the efficiency of RTA’s plans and programmes implemented to provide diverse mobility options for people in the emirate. Dubai’s public transport network, which is fully integrated, has become now the backbone of people movement around Dubai,” noted Al Tayer.