1 In 3 Riders Choose Dubai Metro As Public Transport Use Hits 802 Million In 2025

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

Average daily ridership reached 2.2 million as metro, buses and shared mobility services recorded steady growth across the year.

• PUBLISHED: Sun 15 Feb 2026, 12:27 PM

• By:
• Sahim Salim

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Dubai Metro continued to be the most popular public transport mode, with ridership on the driverless trains accounting for 37 per cent of users across mobility means.

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced Sunday that public transport, shared mobility services and taxis recorded 802.1 million riders last year, compared with 747.1 million in 2024, marking a 7.4 per cent increase. Average daily ridership reached 2.2 million riders, up from 2 million the previous year.

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The total number of trips across public transport, shared mobility and taxis reached 167.3 million in 2025, including 120 million taxi trips and more than 41 million shared mobility trips.

October recorded the highest monthly passenger volume at 72.8 million riders, followed by November with 72.6 million and December with 71.4 million. Passenger numbers during the remaining months ranged between 61 million and 69 million.

Dubai Metro

Dubai Metro carried 294.7 million riders across its Red and Green lines in 2025, reflecting a 7 per cent increase compared with 2024.

BurJuman Metro Station, an interchange serving both lines, recorded the highest passenger volume at 17.8 million riders, an increase of more than 1.5 million compared with the previous year. Al Rigga Metro Station followed with 13.8 million riders.

On the Red Line, Union Metro Station recorded 13.6 million riders, followed by Mall of the Emirates Metro Station with 11.2 million and Burj Khalifa Dubai Mall Metro Station with 10.9 million.

On the Green Line, Sharaf DG Metro Station ranked first with 10.5 million riders, followed by Baniyas Square Metro Station with 8.4 million and Stadium Metro Station with 7.5 million.

Public buses

Public buses carried 197.2 million riders in 2025, reflecting a 5 per cent increase compared with 2024. Buses accounted for 25 per cent of total users across public transport, shared mobility and taxis.

Taxis and premium transport

Taxis transported 209 million riders in 2025, representing a 4 per cent year-on-year increase. Taxis accounted for 26 per cent of total users, compared with 27 per cent in 2024, marking a decline for the third consecutive year.

Premium (limousine) transport services, which are not included in the total public transport ridership, served 23.6 million riders in 2025, compared with 19.2 million in 2024, reflecting a 22 per cent increase.

Shared mobility

Shared mobility services - including app-based vehicles, hourly rental vehicles and on-demand buses - carried 72.9 million riders, recording 30 per cent growth compared with 2024.

Their share of total users increased from 6.2 per cent in 2023 to 7.5 per cent in 2024 and reached 9 per cent in 2025, reflecting sustained growth over the past three years.

Marine transport and tram

Marine transport modes, including abras, water taxis and Dubai Ferry, served 18.4 million riders in 2025, marking a 3 per cent increase compared with 2024. These services accounted for 2 per cent of total users.

Dubai Tram transported 9.9 million riders, up 5 per cent year-on-year, maintaining a 1 per cent share.

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