HE Mattar Al Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), has revealed that public transport in Dubai comprising Dubai metro, Dubai tram, public buses, marine transit modes (abra, ferry, water taxi, water bus) and taxicabs (Dubai Taxi and franchise companies) have risen to 275,772,000 riders in the first half of 2017. Figures of RTA’s statistics Section indicate that public transport ridership in Dubai recorded in the first half of this year compare well with the same figures recorded during the same period last year, which was 273,452,791 riders. The daily ridership recorded in the first half of this year clocked 1.507 million riders.
Dubai Metro accounted for the lion share in public transport ridership in as much as 36.4%, followed by taxis (31.7%) ahead of public buses finished third (28%). The Red and Green Lines of the Dubai Metro have lifted 100.558 million riders in the first half of this year, showing a healthy growth compared with the figures reported for the same period last year (96.486 m riders). The Red Line was used by 64.378 million riders, and the Green Line was used by 36.18 million riders. The Dubai Tram has lifted 3.087 million rides compared with 2.535 million riders during the same period last year.
Al Tayer was delighted with the positive results of public transport ridership; which is experiencing steady growth, thanks to the integration of mass transit modes in the Emirate. “The public transport means have now become the backbone of people mobility in various parts of Dubai, and the preferred transit option for a huge segment of Dubai residents and visitors,” he noted.
“The huge & diverse projects undertaken by the RTA have contributed to the sustained increase in public transport ridership that has leapfrogged from 6% in 2006 to 16% in 2016, and if we add taxis, the share would shoot to as high as 24%. RTA wants to push the share of public transport (metro, tram, buses, and water transport) to 20% by 2020, and 30% by 2030,” explained Al Tayer.
“RTA plans are also focused on encouraging journey-sharing practices especially in a city like Dubai where people ownership of private vehicles is as high as one vehicle per two persons,” he commented.