Dubai public transport a popular ticket in 2017

The number of riders using public transport, especially the metro, has risen owing to the growing culture among the public of using mass transit, the Roads and Transport Authority said.

The tram, pictured, and metro both run through Dubai Marina to keep cars off the busy roads

DUBAI // The numbers of people using public transport have grown in the emirate with the tram registering the highest number of passengers in the first quarter of this year.

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) confirmed that the Dubai Metro comprising the Red and Green Lines had ferried 51.371 million riders during the first quarter of this year compared with 49.9 million passengers in the same period last year, recording a three per cent increase.

Some 1,601,076 riders climbed aboard the tram compared to 1,338,601 in the first quarter of 2015 registering a growth of about 20 per cent.

The RTA was committed to achieve the highest rating of happiness among community members by deploying safe, secure and robust transport fitted with the highest industry technology, said Mohammed Al Mudharreb, director of rail operation at the RTA.

“The number of riders using public transport, especially the metro, has seen a huge growth rate, thanks to the culture of using public transport amongst community members,” said Mr Al Mudharreb adding that the aim was to offer smooth mobility via public transport to various destinations in the emirate to all passengers.

Public buses had transported 38,616,365 riders during the first three months of this year compared with 37,654,468 riders during the same period last year, reflecting a growth of 2.5 per cent.

“The RTA is working to complement the public transport network in the emirate to reduce the use of private vehicles and to make mass transit the ideal mobility choice in Dubai,” said Basel Saad Ibrahim, RTA’s director of buses.

“The share of public transport has grown from 6 per cent in 2006 to 15 per cent in 2015 and reached 24 per cent in 2016 with the taxicab share,” he said.