Dubai's Salik reports 9% more vehicles on the roads as population surges

Toll operator says total number of trips up 35.1% year-on-year

There are 10 Salik gates in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Dubai’s roads are getting busier, with the emirate’s toll operator on Tuesday reporting more vehicles on its system, increased journeys and surging profits.

Salik said the number of registered active vehicles, including motorcycles, increased 9.3 per cent year-on-year to 4.47 million. There was a 7.3 per cent increase in registered drivers for the same period.

In its report for the first three months of 2025, the toll operator said it recorded 210.8 million trips, up 35.1 per cent year-on-year. Total revenue was up 33.7 per cent to Dh751.6 million, while net profit increased 33.7 per cent year-on-year to Dh370.6 million. Toll usage fees represented 88.6 per cent of revenue.

Salik said new toll prices that came into force in January, the addition of two toll gates last November, and the continued tourism boom in Dubai all contributed.

According to the Ministry of Interior, 383,086 new driving licences were issued in 2024 and Dubai’s Statistics Centre population clock showed 3.93 million on Tuesday – up from 3.73 million on the same day last year.

Greater popularity

Road safety experts said the figures underlined the emirate's increasing popularity but it was important to consider how to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads.

“More people means more vehicles which means more traffic which means more congestion,” said Thomas Edelmann, founder and managing director of RoadSafetyUAE.

“Now if even the toll roads are getting more frequency … it is just another testimony to the ever-increasing popularity of the UAE.”

Mr Edelmann said solutions could include more working from home, staggering the hours of offices and schools, carpooling and an incentive system for pupils to use buses.

Urban planning could also have a role to play. He pointed to Dubai's Jumeirah Lakes Towers as an example of a place where people do not have to drive from office to apartment. He also said the plan to develop car-free parts of Dubai was important. “The UAE is just popular,” he said.

Dr Aseel Takshe, acting dean of the school of environment and health sciences at Canadian University Dubai, said other solutions could include building more park-and-ride facilities near public transport stations, adopting variable speed limits to smooth out traffic flow, and using smartphone apps to inform commuters of delays and alternative routes.

“By combining these strategies – investing in public transport, leveraging technology and encouraging behavioural shifts – cities can effectively tackle rising traffic congestion and improve urban mobility,” said Dr Takshe.

The new Salik toll gates were installed at the Business Bay Crossing on Al Khail Road and in Al Safa South, on Sheikh Zayed Road, between Al Meydan Street and Umm Al Sheif Street. They increased the number of Salik toll gates in the emirate to 10.

At the end of January, the cost for drivers to pass through the gates rose from Dh4 to Dh6 during peak hours.

Driving in Dubai is about to get more expensive

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Looking to the future

Salik has also teamed up with Emaar Malls and Parkonic on parking. The toll operator said total revenue from this reached Dh2.8 million.

Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of Salik's board of directors, said the “exceptional” performance reflected a continued focus on “delivering long-term value to shareholders and our ambition to become a global leader in providing smart and sustainable mobility solutions”.

“Dubai’s robust economic growth – driven by the visionary leadership of the emirate, has played a key role in fuelling our positive momentum and creating a strong foundation for long-term sustainable growth,” he said.

Ibrahim Al Haddad, chief executive of Salik, said the core tolling business was “bolstered by the opening of two new toll gates in late 2024”.

“We have also maintained progress in our ancillary revenue streams, with both the Dubai Mall and Parkonic parking partnerships seeing good traction with users in the first quarter,” he said.

Salik also announced it is in the process of launching an additional revenue stream, the Customized Tags initiative, allowing corporate customers to personalise their Salik tags with designs and messages.