Dubai is one of the most beautiful and modern cities in the world, and a trip to this city will surely be a source of unforgettable memories for you. To get to know more about Dubai public transport, stay tuned to the end of this guide.

One of the most important things, whenever you are traveling to another country, is transportation within the city. There are two best ways to get around the city of Dubai, either take the underground or a taxi. If you have an international driver’s license, you can also rent a car.

The working hours of Dubai underground are from 6:30 am to 11:30 pm. Dubai underground has got 2 lines: a red line and a green line. The red line is 52 kilometers long and consists of 29 stations, which connects the Rashidiya area in the east of Dubai to the Jabal Ali area in the west. Actually, most of the length of this route is an overpass, but in some parts it is underground. You can use this line to access shopping centers and the airport.

Tips on Taking Dubai Underground

Dubai Underground is your best option when it comes to Dubai public Transport.

Each passenger must have an underground card for themselves and two people cannot use the same card at the same time.
To use the underground, it is better to have a silver card. The price of the card itself is 5 dirhams and you can recharge it. An amount will be deducted from your card charge on each route according to the distance traveled. If you have charged more than you need, at the end of the trip, they will still have the remaining amount on your card, except for the 5 dirhams you paid for the purchase of the card itself.
You can use this card again on future trips or you can give it to friends and acquaintances who are planning to travel to the country and use public transport in Dubai.
If you only want to travel by underground only for one day, use the red one-day cards. The price of these cards is 16 dirhams and their validity period is one day. Regardless of the distance traveled, you can use the underground unlimitedly for one day with this card.

Rules & Regulations in Dubai Underground

Chewing gum, eating, and drinking is prohibited in Dubai underground. If you do not comply with this, you will be fined 100 dirhams. Also, there is a fine of 500 dirhams for putting your feet on the seats and 1000 dirhams for emergency braking without reason. Dozing and sleeping in the underground is also prohibited and has a fine of 500 dirhams.

Dubai

Popular Dubai Underground Stations

Airport Terminal 1 and Airport Terminal 2: Dubai Airport is very large and the distance between its terminals is huge. This is why Travel agencies have transfers from the airport and vice versa, but passengers who have purchased tickets to Dubai and are traveling by themselves or have a transit ticket from Dubai airport can use the Dubai underground. The stations of Dubai Airport are located on the same red line that starts from Rashidiyah.

Deira City Center: The popular shopping area, City Center, is located near this station and there is a way to enter the shopping center right from the station itself, and you can find its entrance with the help of signs and guidelines. This station is underground and if you go up the stairs, you will see the new branch of DAY TO DAY store in the street right in front of the station.

Al Rigga: As the name suggests, this station is located on Riggaa Street. There are many Chinese shops on this street. Also, this street has busy nights and many night shows are performed there.

Union: This station is very close to the city center and Jamal Square or Bani Yas. It is easy to access Azam Yadan Jamal, which is one of the old neighborhoods of the city. Murshid Bazaar is also accessible in Sabkha, which has several streets and shopping centers. The famous gold and spice market is also located in Sabkha.

Khalid Bin Waleed: This is a famous street where all the banks have branches and therefore it is also known as BANK STREET. Also, there are two famous centers selling computer accessories on this street, named “Khalij Center” and “Al Ain Center”, which are located at the intersection of Khalid bin Waleed and Mankhool Street. As you continue on Khalid bin Walid, there is a street called Al-Fahidi, which is the center for the sale of audio, visual, and electrical equipment. On the other side of the street is a row of cloth sellers.

Al Karama: Karama area is full of clothing, bag, and shoe stores with a variety of qualities and prices.

Al Jafiliya: After getting off at this station, and taking a short walk, you will reach Zabeel Park, where the Zabeel House is located.

World Trade Center: Around this station is full of skyscrapers and towers. Many concerts are held in the halls of this street.

Financial Center: This station is mostly used by merchants. Rose Rayhaan and Rotana Towers hotels are close to this station.

Dubai Mall: From this station, you can easily go to Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa.

Business Bay: If you get off at this station and cross the bridge above the highway, Safa Park is located on the other side. Behind this park is al-Wasl Street. If you want to go to Jumeirah Beach, Safa Park is close to the place. Of course, you have to take a taxi to cover the distance between the two places, but the cost is much lower than when you take a taxi from the city center to Jumeirah Beach.

Emirates Mall: This station is associated with the Emirates Mall, which is a famous commercial center with all kinds of big and expensive brands in the world. Dubai’s indoor ski resort called SKY DUBAI is also located inside this business center. If you take a taxi from this station to Medina Jumeirah, it would be more economical. Al Arab Tower, Jumeirah Street, Mina Salam Hotel, and Jumeirah Beach Hotel are also near Medina Jumeirah.

Sharaf DG and Dubai Internet City: These stations are located in the university areas of the city. They are not great attractions for tourists and are more suitable for students of different universities based in Dubai.

Nakheel: This station is near the famous artificial island of Dubai, which is called Dubai Palm. Dubai Palm hosts Arab and European luxury villas. The famous Atlantis hotel is also located at the end of the Palm.

Dubai Marina: If you get off at this station and go to that side of the highway, after traveling along a path you will reach JBR, which is a public free beach and is surrounded by tall towers and cafes, and restaurants that are the place to be in the evenings. There are great cars around too. You have two ways to reach this area; Either go to that side of the highway after exiting the station and walk for 15 minutes or take a taxi for 10 dirhams and ask them to take you to JBR.

Ibn Battuta: Right in front of this station is the Ibn Battuta traditional market. You don’t need to cross the highway to go to Ibn Battuta Bazaar, because you can enter it from inside the station hall itself.

Like many other developed cities, Dubai’s underground is one of the most efficient public transportation methods in the city. In addition to the low price of the Dubai underground tickets, it covers and provides easy access to different parts of the city. Dubai underground trains are also very clean and equipped with Wi-Fi. They are in fact considered one of the most modern underground lines in the world. Most of Dubai’s underground actually moves on the ground and this provides the passengers with a beautiful view of the city.

Guide to Taking a Taxi in Dubai

Taking a taxi would be your second-best choice if you need to travel within the city and need to avoid the bus, the underground, or other means of public transport in Dubai. You can ask for a receipt when taking a taxi in Dubai. These receipts can be of help in case you leave something in the taxi, and need to have it found later on.

Taxi fares are relatively expensive in Dubai. Only the cost of entering the taxi is 3 dirhams and the rest of the journey is calculated by the taxi meter. Cream-colored taxis are cheaper than the other ones.

You cannot take these routes in Dubai by the underground and have to take a taxi: Mercato, Zoo, Medina Al Jumeirah, Wild Wadi Water Park, Burj Al Arab entrance, Jumeirah Beach Park, Dubai Palm or Atlantis Hotel.

Alternatively, you can take the underground to the stations near these places and then hop in a taxi the rest of the way.

Ride-Hailing Services in Dubai

There are also ridesharing services active in Dubai. You can use these services both individually and in groups. The most popular services are the following:

Uber: Uber is one of the most famous ride-hailing services active around the world that operates in more than 67 countries.
Careem: Using the Careem application, you can travel in Dubai hassle-free.

Monorail & Dubai Public Transport

Monorail is one of Dubai’s public transport methods that is only dedicated to a specific route; Traveling to Palm Jumeirah Island. This is the first monorail in the Middle East, you may be interested to know that it cost 1.4 billion dirhams to build. Especially if you are staying at Atlantis Hotel, this monorail will help you a lot.

It should be noted that the monorail works on all seven days of the week from 8 am to 10 pm and has a capacity of 40 thousand passengers.

Water-Based Public Transport in Dubai

If you want to move among the waters of the city of Dubai, you have several diverse and exciting options:

Blue Buses

This exciting bus has a similar appearance to intercity buses, except that it moves through the waves of the sea. But this bus is not only limited to the sea. In fact, the movement of the Dubai water bus starts from the land and ends at the sea.

Water Taxis

Water taxis are traditional wooden boats in Dubai. These boats have a capacity of 20 people and travel in two directions:

The first route: This route is from “Abra” towards the old market of Deira.
The second route: This route is from the old market of Deira towards the Al-Sabkha area.

Final Word

If you can use public transport in Dubai, you can save a lot of money on your trip to this beautiful city. By reducing your transportation expenses, you can spend more money on entertainment and shopping in Dubai.

For every citizen of Dubai, there are about 5 tourists visiting this city. This level of popularity of Dubai among tourists is due to the presence of amenities and of course the attractions available in this city. If access to any of the facilities of a tourist destination is not easy, no traveler will travel there twice or recommend visiting that city to another tourist. Therefore, due to the popularity of Dubai, it is obvious that the public transport in Dubai is in an ideal state.

It is safe to say that all the tourist attractions in Dubai are within the radius of the Dubai public transport system, so after getting off the Dubai underground or bus stations, you are either in the center of a tourist attraction or you can reach it with a short walk.

More read:

Dubai Public Transport Guide