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Local Transport in Dubai: How to Navigate the Emirate City

public transport in dubai

Dubai, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), offers unforgettable experiences for all the travellers. With its rich cultural history, spectacular landscapes, awe-inspiring deserts, exciting adventures, buzzing nightlife, unique infrastructure, convenient local transport in Dubai and a city of entertainment, Dubai is truly a wonderland and should be added at the top of your travel bucket list. Moreover, the easy Dubai visa online process makes your trip planning much easier and stress-free.

A perfect Dubai holiday is a journey into the contrasting city where the vibrancy of a modern metropolis and traditional desert life are intertwined. Dubai has two world-class airports that provide thousands of international flights each week which means Dubai has many visitors at once, so make your trip more comfortable by exploring its local transport options.

In this article, we’ll be highlighting the different options of local transport in Dubai for a more relaxing and hassle-free experience.

Dubai has the cheapest local transportation for tourists. Though the best way to get around Dubai is by taxi or metro, the local transport in Dubai also has buses, water buses, monorail system, tram and so forth.

The fares here are in the form of a Nol Card. You may wonder what is a Nol Card? A Nol Card is like a credit card that holds either a balance or a specific season ticket for travelling on the various local transport in Dubai including the metro, buses and the tram. Moreover, before commencing on a journey, you must purchase a Contactless Card available at all the metro stations, bus stations.

Below are the different Local Transports in Dubai:

Taxi:

Taxi in Dubai City
Image Credit: Sasun Bughdaryan

Despite the high prices, taxis give the freedom to move at your own pace without the nuisance of navigating traffic. There are three choices for taxis in Dubai:
1. Official Taxis
2. Uber
3. Careem
The easiest trick in the books for an official taxi reservation in Dubai is a phone call, whereas, booking an Uber or Careem can be done through mobile phone applications. Due to the online payment mode, it has become way easier to have a transaction. All the taxis in Dubai offer users the option to pay with Nol Cards, Credit Cards or NFC technology via smartphones using Apple Pay or Samsung Pay. Generally, Careem is cheaper than Uber for shorter distances while Uber is cheaper and the best mode of transport for longer distances. But mostly, Uber and Careem cost more than a taxi.

Dubai Metro:

Metro in Dubai
Image Credit: Grisha Bruev

Dubai Metro is the first urban rail system on the Arabian Peninsula and the longest fully automated driverless train system in the world. It is one of the easiest and rapid ways to get around the city. The metro fares are comparatively cheaper than other Metro transport systems around the country.

The Dubai Metro runs every few minutes from early morning to late at night plus the extensive window panel of the metro offers beautiful views of the city. The best part about using Metro as the local transport is that most of the iconic attractions of the city are closer (at Walking distance) to the metro stations.

The Dubai Metro consist of two lines:

Red Line {Al Rashidiya – UAE Exchange (Jebal Ali)}
Green Line {Etisalat – Creek}

Passengers can transfer between lines at either Union or Bur Juman.

The OPerating Hours for the Dubai Metro is:

Saturday: Thursday: 7 am – 11 pm
Friday: 10 am – 11 pm.

Frequency:

Every 3.45 minutes during peak hours
Every 7:00 minutes during off peak hours.

Buses:

Bus on the road in Dubai
image Credit: Mo Azizi

The public transport agency in Dubai operates an extended Bus network of 119 internal lines, including 35 lines linking to metro stations, 12 intercity lines to transport passengers to other emirates, 62 internal lines and 8 fast lines. There are 4 kinds of different buses in Dubai.

Double- Decker
Articulated
Standard
Metro-link

To plan a bus travel journey in Dubai, one needs to have a RTA’s Journey Planner App – Wojhati. The App displays real-time updates of bus timings at the stop you are at. Each bus is air-conditioned and has informative screens that display details about the bus stops. There are audible alerts with corresponding flashing lights signalling when the doors open and close.

The Bus fare in Dubai usually depends on the type of the Nol card that the traveller chooses. The bus fares are also dependent on the zones. The more zones you cross, the higher your bus fare will be. There must be a minimum of AED 7.50 in the Nol card for passengers to be able to enter the bus. Paying the bus driver directly is prohibited.

Water Ways:

If you don’t travel through water transport in Dubai, then you’re missing something big! Because there is so much beauty to enjoy when you travel through water ways.

There are four different water ways to travel around the city:

1. Water-Taxi

Water-Taxi in Dubai
Image Credit: Sudarsan Thobias

Water-taxi is a luxurious mode of transportation. It can transport a maximum of 10 passengers at a time. It operates between Al Mamzar and Dubai Marina via Dubai Creek. It has 32 pick-up points all over Dubai. It operates between 10 am to 10 pm. They can also be rented for private use.

2. Water-Buses

Water-Bus cruises operate around the Dubai Marina. It operates from Saturday to Thursday between 10am and 11pm at a gap of every 20 minutes. On Friday, it operates between 12pm and 12am. Water Bus fares range between AED 3 to AED 5 depending upon the destination. They can also be chartered for private use on an hourly basis.

3. Ferries

Ferries in Dubai
Image Credit: Sergii Figurnyi

Ferries offer scenic rides around BurDubai, Deira, Jumeirah and Dubai Marina. The schedule for each ferry varies depending on the route. Gold class ticket costs AED 75 per person, silver class ticket costs AED 50 per person, Children aged 2-10 years receive a 50 per cent discount on the single ticket fares, while children under 2 years ride for free.

4. Abras

Abras in Dubai
Image Credit: Sergii Figurnyi

Abras is a traditional small ferry-like boat used to ferry people across the Dubai Creek in Dubai. There are three types of Abras:

1. Motorised Abras

2. Electrical Abras

3. Air-conditioned Abras

Motorised Abras run across the creek between BurDubai and Deira. Electrical Abras offer joy rides at the Burj Khalifa lake and the water passage in the Global Village. Fares vary according to the type of Abras.

Monorail System:

Monorail in Dubai
Image Credit: Leonid Andronov

The Palm Monorail is the most iconic way to navigate across the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. It connects key landmarks of the Palm Jumeirah beginning from the Gateway Station at the entry of the Palm Jumeirah, to Golden Mile Galleria, Al Ittihad Park, Nakheel Mall and Atlantis hotel. The Monorail operates from 9 am to 10 pm daily. Tickets usually are higher than other local transport in Dubai. One-way tickets cost around 20 AED.

Tram:

Tram in Dubai
Image Credit: Leonid Andronov

Dubai Tram is one of the safest modes of local transport in the world, designed to be an essential part of the Dubai transport network. The tram service links the Dubai Metro and the Palm Monorail and runs along Al Sufouh road and Jumeirah Beach Road along with 11 stations. The Dubai Tram has a fixed fare of AED 3 per ride, regardless of the distance travelled.

The Dubai Tram goes in one loop and takes approximately 40 minutes from end to end. They run approximately every 6-8 minutes. Trams run from 6:30 am to 1 am from Saturday to Thursday. On Friday, it runs from 9 am to 1 am.

So, never say never to an exciting Dubai Holiday! Knowing about the local transport options even before visiting Dubai will ensure you have the trip of your life. The little details about the local transport in Dubai will help you to navigate easily in the wonder city of Dubai.

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