The Evolution of Dubai's Public Transportation System from Camel Rides to Flying Taxis

• 1960: Dubai International Airport
• 1968: First Ever Bus Service

It started with the core vision of Sheikh Rashid who thought that Dubai had great potential in transportation where Airport was one of the important needs to bring change in the mode of travelling and making longer distances shorter, so this is how the foundation of an Airport got into consideration. 

An era with the great opening of Dubai International Airport (DIA) in 1960 was formed where the whole idea was to create a robust network all over that would take Dubai’s economy to another level, as it has had been a hub for international trade & tourism, so the foundation of DIA was the real transformation to extend the reach and made it possible to link Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe within the time range, so this way it served easy travelling to 4.3 million passengers and then 9.7 million, so this number was increasing rapidly and now it is forecasted 93 million passengers because travellers are highly dependent on flights to fly in no time for their business, international exposure, staycations, education and more

And this was the time where Dubai started shaping up the public transportation system by setting up its first ever bus service in the year 1968 to form a local network that was important for the people of Dubai to get locally connected via bus for jobs, needs or education.

So at that point in time, there were 4 minibuses for the experience, and this has extended to 1,500 buses to interconnect every place in Dubai Where it has become super smooth for the residents to travel around from this economical mode of transportation where buses are highly maintained in order to give more vibes and comfortable journey all around. 

Fact behind the creation of Dubai’s first Airport

It was Sheikh Rashid who took this step to form the first Airport which was in Al Ghusais, but the first preference was Jebel Ali. Interestingly, after 50 years of gap, Al Maktoum International Airport opened in Jebel Ali.

⦁    1971: Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah Road
⦁    1973: Dubai and Abu Dhabi Road

This was a time where the prime focus was on road construction with all basic ancillaries where to add streetlights, safety additions, proper sewage system and more to form a well functional road that is easy to commute. 

2 Prime Roads Developments 

• 1971: Road connecting Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah
• 1973: Road connecting Dubai and Abu Dhabi

So these were 2 important roads that formed a network for land travellers to experience easy commuting where a modern road has its own set of advantages where it was mainly for the ease of residents and the economy.

CHALLENGES: The budget for Abu Dhabi Road was limited so they reduced the size of the flyover then the challenges started couldn’t manage the traffic, single lane flyover couldn’t hold many vehicles, and even the roundabouts that used to complex the traffic and dangerous too, so they had to restructure the flyover with all ease to lead quality road that is practically easy to use.

TURNED OUT TO BE A KEY ROAD: With the opening of Jebel Ali Port in 1978 and Jebel Ali Free Zone in 1980 by Sheikh Rashid, Abu Dhabi Road became a significant path for distribution of goods & materials from Dubai’s Twin Ports of Jebel Ali & Port Rashid. 

And for more, there was an opening of many vital ancillaries such as hospitals, schools, banks, residential projects and more to create better livability around,

LITTLE STORY: The name of Abu Dhabi Road was changed after the death of Sheikh Rashid where his elder son named it “Sheikh Zayed Road” and since then it has been called SYR of Dubai.

• Flyovers
• New highways
• Tunnel

Crucial years of transformation of road networking where it is significant, not just for Dubai’s residents, but as a way to invite business, easy flow of trade, ease for tourists to travel and more to overall contribute to its economy.

So for this, the viral step was taken by replacing all the traditional roundabouts and creating flyovers forming tunnels & highways over crucial areas for time saving & smooth travelling experience, and this used to curtail the overall duration of travelling for people going to work, local needs or for sightseeing, so the foundation for robust flyovers in the mid 90s was a prime step taken to modernize the travelling experience and connect Emirates via road with all new experience. 

• 81 vehicles to 12,532 Now
• Dubai Taxi Company biggest operator with 46% Market Share

After the formation of roads & flyovers, people wanted to have “PERSONAL EXPERIENCE” that was possible only in private taxis where one could commute directly without interference or time consumption because taxis used to give direct reach without moving here & there, so to start, the opening of 81 vehicles under Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) based on different categories- 

• Family Taxi- Big size taxis
• Luxury Taxi- With luxury interiors
• Airport Taxi- Direct to Airport 
• Public Taxi- Hire and pay as per meter
• Hatta Taxi- Taxi service for the residents of Hatta
• In Safe Hands Taxi- Allows parents to pre book the taxi for kid’s safety

So all these were well categorized to create a personal commuting experience where every need was meticulously planned for friendly commuting, and to add safety the RTA ensures every taxi runs on the regulated pricing system to avoid any money stress, so this way it added more safety in the segment of transportation system where more people could depend on this mode. 

Gradually, the total income of people started growing where they could afford such personalized taxis for quality experience as it sets many advantages, so the need for taxis surged from 1995 where people got to know about the benefits of travelling in taxis where safety was one of the highlights that allured people, and especially to parents who can set their kids to school.

So it started holding a niche in Dubai’s transportation system, and today, the number of taxis has jumped to 12,532 connecting to every place in Dubai and in no time travellers can get taxis for their work, needs, travelling or other things for systemic travelling experience, and now with maps one can know the total duration in advance so that further things can be planned accordingly.

• The addition of 1500 buses

The journey of intercity buses started in the year 1998 to primarily network Ajman, Sharjah and Fujairah to make these routes easily interconnected via bus in order to ease the people to travel with comfort, so gradually, the depend for buses on different routes pushed the RTA to open more routes for buses, and then there was an addition of Ras Al Khaimah, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Hatta to improve connectivity to all the vital places that were essential for tourism, daily work, needs, family meets and for more activities.

And this escalated the number of buses and that were 1500 available on the above mentioned routes for better transit options where Emiratis can make the most out of it. 

• Dubai Water Bus
• Ferry
• Water Taxi
• Dubai Abra

Dubai wanted to move one step higher in order to create a novel travelling experience that curtails the pollution level, adds innovation, upscale economy, traffic control system and lots more concerns were connected, and then in 2007 Marine transportation took a strong niche as the experience to travel in water taxi or ferry was exceptional for the people.

So Emiratis had a wide range of options such as Water Taxi, Dubai Abra, Ferry, Water Buses, and it has 30 pick up points all over the Emirate, so places to which these services were accessible- Abu Dubai, Delma Island, Mugharaq Port, Marsa Jabal Al Dhanna, Bur Dubai, Deira, Jumeirah, Dubai Marina, Sharjah and Dubai Creek.

And this turned out to be the modish mode of commuting where ease reach to the destination without fussing into a jam packed traffic allured many people to use this mode of option that even helped in making the environment pollutant free, and this has still continued as the best option where according to the latest report, 17.43 Million people use marine transportation which has also increased by 9% from the previous year. 

• 2009 red line- 10 stations
• 2011 green line- 20 stations

Now something greatest of all “Dubai Metro” which seriously changed the way of travelling by being a rapid & economical option for people to enjoy the mega driverless metro where the ancillaries such as a radio system, wireless Fidelity, robust security system, exclusive sitting for special people or females make an intact experience for the riders to keep them content.

So the number of passengers were 1.2 Million in 2009, 10% of Dubai’s population and this has jumped to 175.46 Million where travellers are highly dependent on this mode of commuting. 

FACTS ABOUT DUBAI METRO

• Metro work started on 21 March 2006
• The cost of the metro project went from AED 15.5 to AED 28 Billion
• Only 10 stations formed out of 29
• All 29 stations were planned out on 28 April 2010
• No higher hopes were from Metro in Profit Making
• The process stretched till March 2014 and 2 more stations were added
• Metro prices were by 11 Nov 2014
• Future project- 2029 blue line Academic City covering 14 stations
• Free car parking for metro users
• 10 Sep, 2009 the metro train broke down 
• From a small fire on the track incident, 1,000 of people were affected

2009 with an Addition of Feeder Buses to support Metro Reach

After the inception of the metro, there was an opening of feeder buses to mainly connect with the metro with an opening of 656 with air conditioning, and the structure was low floor European made buses by Volvo, Solaris, Mercedes-Benz and more.

So the whole idea of launching the feeder bus was to attract people to use the metro with the help of this bus that directly takes them to the metro stations with an economical price range, and also the timings were set in such a way that it was easy to catch the metro. 

And for its look & feel, the colour of this bus was a bright bus and its shape was similar to metro carriages, and some of the vital routes were: - 

• Al Ras metro station to Union Bus station
• Mira Community to Dubai Studio City
• Emirates
• Business Bay
• Marina
• Dubai Internet City and more 

2009 Projection of Monorail in Palm Jumeirah

• 2006 construction year
• 2008 completion of the project

Planning of the most iconic transport “Monorail” was particularly planned for Palm Jumeirah over a stretch of 5.5 Km and this vehicle is of blue & white color where it showcases the reflection of the sky & beaches forming a picture perfect look, and then it has turned out to be a magical way of commuting around an island.

And it holds a capacity of more than 40,000 people every day, so the whole idea of  Monorail was to connect Palm Jumeirah to the mainland, and this to further link with the Dubai metro red line. 

ABOUT MONORAIL

• It is the first monorail in the Middle East
• The project was supervised under the Marubeni Corporation
• The technology used Hitachi Monorail straddle type
• The opening of the project was delayed
• It is a driverless train with an attendant for emergency
• The average speed of a monorail is 35 Km/h
• 1,600 parking spaces available
• It has 4 opened stations & 1 for refurbishing 
• It runs all 7 days from 9 AM to 10 PM
• Mainly used to explore the mesmerizing ambience of this island

Dubai used to believe in advancement related to every sector in order to ease the people, and then there was an initiation of the Dubai Tram with an objective to curtail the travelling time and also to offer a luxury form of transport that was exciting and exclusive, also changing the mode of travelling where people could find public transportation way better to commute and connect to every place. 

So the tram basically linked Dubai Metro & the Palm Monorail and the route stretched 10.6 Km covering 11 stations such as Jumeirah Beach Residence, Palm Jumeirah, Mina Seyahi, Knowledge Village, Al Sufouh, Dubai Marina and more as these places were the attractions of Dubai, so local people or tourists could easily avail this tram bustled with comfort, luxury and air conditioned features to make the journey super flexible for the travellers. 

And roughly, 52 million people travelled via the tram which helped in controlling the on road traffic, and also people wanted to experience a modern rail system that could give a smooth experience and easy reach to the desired stop. 

MORE ABOUT TRAM

• It is the first tram project outside Europe
• It was a design studio of SYSTRA in partnership with AECOM
• It is open all 7 days 
• Timings 6 Am to 1 Pm
• The total journey by tram is 40 min
• Silver class cabin for women & children
• The addition of gold class to have a panoramic view & additional benefits 
• 2 suitcases per person
• Tram wheelchair access
• Fine in tram could go AED 2,000
• Ancillaries inside the tram- WIFI, Mobile coverage (network), availability of tram police, radio link and more

Today with the maximum consumption of metro followed by public bus, shared mobility, marina and tram turned out to be the best mode of transportation for the Emirate of Dubai to ensure a sea change for the commuters and serve ease of travelling to every area of Dubai that maintains the work & life balance, and this has not just gleaned the attention of the locals, but also swayed the tourists on the larger scale where they can reach out to any attraction via these mediums with no fuss around.

To be a game changer, some groundbreaking ideas surge the transportation system worldwide, and this is what Dubai is all ready for to deliver a futuristic range of options that will blow the minds and make this city an “Innovation of God”, so here comes the breakdown of 7 upcoming transit systems: - 

Etihad Rail (Uae National Rail Project)

ROUTE: Saudi Arabian borders cover the entire UAE to Fujairah on the Indian Ocean Coast.

Etihad Rail is moving one step ahead in terms of connectivity, and this time it is not to connect Dubai internally but to access other cities in the UAE, so it is structured to link 11 cities and regions and compare with other modes of transportation it will curtail almost 40% travelling time.

And it is going to be one of the biggest rail projects that will be connecting main landmarks to add another vital range of travelling that will have a great impact on people’s lives where they can manage their travelling schedule. 

And its main contribution is going to the economy, individual growth in terms of job opportunities and also tourism to let people connect to many parts of the city within the time range. 

Flying Taxis (World’s First Air Taxi)

By 2026 the Flying Taxis will address its futuristic public transportation mode and they are designed as drones in a bigger form with a capacity of 4 passengers along with the pilot, and the main purpose of launching Flying Taxis is to add the next level range of transportation system which is not seen anywhere in the world and mainly, this could invent swift travelling, less consumption of land space and push in the economy.

Important Deets on Upcoming Flying Taxis in Dubai

AVERAGE SPEED: 320 KM/H and flying height to be 500-3,000 meter

LANDINGS: Expected to manage 42,000 landings and service to 170,000 passengers annually. 

INITIAL PLACES: 4 points- Dubai International Airport, Dubai Downtown, Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah.

TRAVELLING TIME: It is going to 12 min approx. from DIA to Palm Jumeirah whereas by car it takes 45 min, so this way it curtails the overall travelling time and in an unexpected time range one can reach these vital places.

FEATURES: Taxi with 6 rotors & 4 battery packs, and its design makes it less noisy than a helicopter, it has a backup system and even the flight control method.

PRICE: Roughly the cost of air taxi is going to be 350 Dirhams

Sky Pods (Driverless Experience)

Next level projection of Sky Pod Transport System with driverless travelling to all the main landmarks of Dubai such as Burj Khalifa, Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Wasl, Business Bay and more to provide exclusive connectively with the speed of 150 Km/h that will carry 20,000 people per hour.

And its mechanism maintains its exclusivity where the adjustment of the pods to synchronize each of them is done by advanced programming. 

Furthermore, this aerial vehicle is going to have space for bicycles, wheelchairs, scooters and more to avoid any kind of interruption for the rides.

SOME CORE ADVANTAGES OF SKY PODS: - 

• Curtail air pollution
• To consume a limited land area
• Help in traffic congestion
• Ensures safe space for pedestrians to walk on the road
• To have a travelling with a bird’s eye view experience
• Consumption of 100 times less land
• 5 times more powerful than any other vehicle
• It is a kind of private vehicle
• Connects to all the prime areas in no time
• Economy growth as more consumption of transport will make money
• To make a 25% driverless transportation system

Electric Abra (World’s First Electric Abra)

The testing of driverless Abras has started to understand its efficiency and usability in order to add novel travelling experiences in the marine transport sector, so for this, a sustainable transportation system to enhance the passenger experience will be a great addition in Dubai. So this system is meticulously planned by Al Seer Marine Company in Abu Dhabi with the supervision of Siemens and Torqeedo from Germany along with Tasneef Company to have a tap on the safety standards, so collectively, it takes the responsibility of each one to form this transportation as an easy mode of travelling.

GET SOME IMPORTANT DEETS ON ELECTRIC ABRA

• It can hold up to 20 passengers
• They are going to be driverless with advanced programming 
• Tested at Sheikh Zayed Road Marine Transport station in line TR6 and AL Jaddaf, then to Festival City in Dubai Creek
• With 7 knots it maintains its maximum speed
• It can move for 7 hours in one charge
• Less noise compared to the traditional abras
• No carbon emissions to save the environment
• it is going be the cheapest form of travelling
• Useful for people of determination, tourists and residents
• Ride of comfort, enjoy waterbody, gush of freshness and panoramic view of the city
• It will be one step toward making Dubai a smart city

Driverless Pod Rail System (Door to Door)

Unveiling a great option to enhance urban mobility in Dubai with high tech travelling experience & eco friendly system, and this will lead to hassle free and flexible way to commute, so these bubble like Floc pods will carry 16 passengers at one time to key areas such as Downtown, Dubai Marina, Bay Avenue, Sheikh Zayed Road, Marasi Drive and more 15 stations carrying 8,400 passengers every hour. 

And in one pod 6 people can sit together, so it is great for families to travel together and get down to any station they want, so this way there is no need to take out your car with the use of Pod Rail you can reach smoothly without involving into any kind of road trouble

Driverless Taxis (Tension Free Driving Experience)

Dubai Taxi Company with Bolt in the formation to formulate Driverless cars in the future and this will be planned on Jumeirah Road between Etihad Museum and Dubai Water Canal to cover the prime spots, and as the trails are still going, so if it gets successful, then Dubai will be the 2nd city after the US to operate Self driving Vehicle to turn Dubai as a “Smart City” in the world.

And as per the plan, 1 in 4 residents are going to use this vehicle by 2030 to have an exclusive driving experience where worry free driving takes the experience to another level, and the major addition will be a reduction in the number of accidents by 12%, and in fact,it will curtain the stress of parking as its system will take care of it. 

PRICE OF THE CAR: The price range of this car would be the same as a private car.

TOTAL CARS TO BE LAUNCHED: Aim to have 4,000 taxis by 2030 and the number will be increased depending on the demand. 

TECHNOLOGY: Al Algorithms interpret data from sensors to maintain safety, then advanced cameras with 360 degree angles to detect minute things, and it has the potential to curtain accidents & maintain traffic and all these with control over an environment.

CONS TO ADDRESS: Reduction in job, less privacy, public acceptance, refurbishment of infrastructure and more that would turn as a challenge for the driverless car.  

Metro Expansion (Mother of Invention)

Dubai with constant developments has taken lucrative steps for the ease of the residents to give them every kind of comfort in every form to ensure better livability, and for this, the metro has been the biggest transformation in the transportation sector, and now to expand its presence, more 14 stations to cover on Blue Line to interlink every urban area of Dubai.

And including addition on other lines, there would be 96 stations from 2030 and 140 by 2040, so some of the advantages to address here are: - 

• Keeping every area of Dubai connected via the metro
• With this, the addition of feeder buses and taxis
• Providing affordable and easy mode of travelling
• Compelling people to travel more from the metro
• Reduce traffic from every part of Dubai
• Metro to boost the Dubai Real Estate Market
• Trouble free travelling system to workplace, entertainment and more
• Metros are more reliable and cost effective
• No need to get stuck in traffic
• No need to worry about your vehicle and travel anywhere

OPERATED BY: It is expected that new stations will be operated by 2029

TOTAL INVESTMENT: AED 18 million to operate 32 metro stations 

APPROVAL: This project is approved by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum

According to the Deloitte City Mobility Index 2020, 16% of people use public transport, and the city aims to take the percentage to 25% of people using common transportation, and with an investment of Dh1.1 BN to take cars off the road in order to manage traffic & pollution level. 

And to match up the comfort & speed of the cars, the bus needs to have all these advanced level features where frequency, speed, reliability, comfort, wi-fi and more in order to meet the same pace of a car, and also to breakdown the habit of using a car. 

And in fact, for this extra lanes on the Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, Al Satwa, Al Nahda, Omar Bin Al Khattab and Naif streets in the city to have more lines to run a bus.

• ENHANCE CITY’S MOBILITY: If the city is well approachable from the sides, then it makes mobility way easier and more convenient, and this way, it opens the smooth path for professionals, households, students and more to travel around any place of need.
• CURTAIL TRAFFIC: The high use of public transportation systems will manage traffic better because less use of cars will create no traffic on the road, and then it is easy to bring every vehicle systematically with maximum utilization of the resources. 
• ADD OPPORTUNITIES: With a diversified range of transportation it adds opportunities to grow where professionals can commute to their office space, kids can go to school and more benefits can be taken from the transportation so that the dreams can be fulfilled at every cost. 
• BOOST IN ECONOMY: As tourism is one of the largest sources of income in Dubai, so tourism is highly dependent on tourism, and as Dubai is able to add a diversified range of transportation systems, so business, entertainment and more sectors are well covered, and as per the latest report, it contributed 13.4% in the growth of the economy. And for this, the government is taking lucrative steps to push the residents to use public transport more and more. 
• JOB CREATION: The whole process of transportation requires labour, and this way it adds more people to get into the work of transportation in order to form a futuristic mode, and later on to maintain & drive a dedicated person is required, so in short it adds more jobs and sustainability.
• IMPACT ON REAL ESTATE: Good transportation impacts the real estate sector as buyers tend to buy properties where they can find flexible transportation to meet daily needs, jobs, entertainment and more, so transportation in every community of Dubai has given an edge to its real estate as more demand leads to better infrastructures.

The journey from Camel to Flying Taxi took 64 years of struggle to bring a next level transportation system that has given another benchmark to the residents and tourists to experience something unseen in the transit sector that has not just improved the mode of travelling but surged the overall economy of Dubai where its 13.4% contribution matters a lot.

So we hope that the above breakdowns on the transportation system year by year will give you fruitful stats on Dubai’s transit system, and also in March 2023, Dubai ranked in 9th position for the most affordable city for public transportation by Picodi where the diversified mode of transportation gives different price range to the commuters, by the way, the cheapest option in Dubai is Metro followed by bus & abra.