Getting Around Dubai: Metro, nol Fares, Taxis and Abras

What is the best way to get around Dubai?

Use the Metro for the long Red Line spine from the airport to Downtown and Dubai Marina, the Green Line for old Dubai, and AED 1 abras across the Creek. Pay with a Silver nol card, from AED 3 a trip. Take a taxi or ride-hail for Jumeirah, the Palm and late nights.

Dubai is long and thin, and its public transport follows that shape. The Red Line runs along Sheikh Zayed Road from the airport to the Marina and Expo City, the Green Line loops round the Creek, the tram serves the coast at Dubai Marina and JBR, buses fill the gaps, and boats cross the Creek and link the Marina with old Dubai and Sharjah.

Heat decides how far you will walk between stops. The WMO normals for Dubai give average highs of 40.6°C in July, so from May to September a ten-minute walk to a station feels much longer and taxis earn their fare. In the cooler months, the Metro and a little walking cover most visitor trips.

This guide uses the RTA’s own fare, timetable and service pages, Dubai Airports, Dubai Taxi and FCDO advice, checked on 17 October 2026. For where to base yourself by station, read where to stay in Dubai; for the arrival, the DXB transfer guide.

How do Dubai’s transport options compare?

The Metro is the fastest cheap option for most trips, the tram serves Dubai Marina and JBR, buses reach places the rail does not, and abras and ferries add the water. Taxis cost more but go door to door. The table sets out fares, payment, hours and airport links for each mode.

Fares and hours come from the RTA timetable, nol fares, marine and taxi pages, airport links from Dubai Airports, and the rail fare from Gulf News launch reporting. Ramadan, public holidays and big events change hours, so check the RTA before late journeys.

For most visitors the choice is simple: Metro by day, abras for the Creek, and a taxi when the heat, the hour or the luggage says so. The sections below cover each mode in detail.

How does the Dubai Metro work for visitors?

Two lines cover most visitor trips. The Red Line runs past DXB Terminals 1 and 3 to Downtown, Al Barsha, Dubai Marina and Expo City, and the Green Line loops round old Dubai; they meet at Union and BurJuman. Trains run from 5am, or 8am on Sundays, until midnight, and until 1am on Friday nights.

The RTA lists station hours of 5am to midnight from Monday to Thursday and on Saturday, 5am to 1am on Friday and 8am to midnight on Sunday, with Union and BurJuman as the Red–Green interchanges and Sobha Realty and DMCC as the Metro–tram interchanges. Many stations have been renamed under sponsorship deals, including Dubai Marina, now Sobha Realty, and JLT, now DMCC (Gulf News); the Red Line runs from Centrepoint to Expo 2020 and Life Pharmacy, and the Green Line from e& to Creek (Khaleej Times, 8 September 2026).

Each train has a Gold Class cabin at double the fare and cabins reserved for women and children. You may bring two suitcases, the larger no more than 81 × 58 × 30cm and the smaller 55 × 38 × 20cm, stowed in the luggage area. The RTA fines AED 100 for eating or drinking where it is not allowed, AED 200 for smoking and AED 500 for carrying alcohol, and children under eight must travel with an adult (RTA).

A third line is coming: the RTA describes the Blue Line as a 30km route with 14 stations, due in 2029, meeting the Green Line at Creek and the Red Line at Centrepoint (RTA). Until then, Jumeirah, the Palm and Global Village need the tram, a bus or a taxi.

Which nol card should you buy, and what do fares cost?

Buy a Silver nol card for AED 25, which includes AED 19 of credit. Fares are AED 3 within one zone, AED 5 across two and AED 7.50 beyond, against AED 4, 6 and 8.50 on a paper Red Ticket. Gold Class costs double. Children aged five and under travel free on every card.

The RTA sells the Silver and Gold cards for AED 25, including AED 19 of balance, valid for five years, with a maximum balance of AED 1,000 on an anonymous card; the paper Red Ticket costs AED 2, lasts 90 days or 10 trips and works on one mode at a time (RTA). Dubai Airports sells passes at ticket offices and machines in Terminals 1 and 3 (Dubai Airports).

A journey can last up to 180 minutes with up to three transfers, and after leaving a Metro station you have 30 minutes to tap onto a bus. Anonymous Silver cards can also take a seven-day pass, at AED 50 for one zone, AED 80 for two and AED 110 for all zones, which pays off only on a Metro-heavy week (RTA).

Concessions need a Personal card: students and senior Emiratis and citizens get 50% off, and People of Determination travel free (RTA). Our Dubai Pass guide covers attraction bundles, which are separate from transport.

Where do the Dubai Tram and Palm Monorail fit in?

Use the tram along Al Sufouh Road and Jumeirah Beach Road for Dubai Marina, JBR and the Palm area, changing from the Red Line at Sobha Realty or DMCC. It runs from 6am, or 9am on Sundays, until 1am. The Palm Monorail was suspended for maintenance when we checked, so use a taxi or ferry.

The RTA says the tram links the Metro with the Palm Monorail along Al Sufouh Road and Jumeirah Beach Road, with Gold Class cabins, a women-and-children section, wheelchair spaces on every tram and tactile guidance paths. Its timetable runs trams from 6am to 1am from Monday to Saturday and from 9am on Sunday (RTA).

The Palm Monorail, with stations at Palm Gateway, Al Ittihad Park, Palm Jumeirah Mall and Atlantis Aquaventure, posted a notice on 17 October 2026 that service was temporarily suspended until further notice for maintenance. Until it returns, take a taxi to the Palm, or the Dubai Ferry FR4 from Dubai Marina Mall to Palm Jumeirah and Atlantis at 11:30am and 4:30pm, which needs at least 12 passengers (RTA).

If Atlantis is the goal, our Aquaventure guide covers the day itself.

When are Dubai’s buses useful?

Buses fill the gaps the rail misses: Global Village in its season, Hatta’s mountains on the Hatta Express, and suburbs away from the Red Line. They take nol cards only, not cash, at the same zone fares as the Metro. The network runs from 4am to 1am, and route C01 runs around the clock.

The RTA says Dubai Bus operates from 4am to 1am, with route C01 running 24 hours, and the Hatta Express, route H02, from 7am to 7pm daily every two hours; the fare to Hatta is AED 25 and Visit Hatta puts the ride at about an hour and a half (Visit Hatta).

Global Village lists four bus routes for its season: 102 from Centrepoint Metro, 103 from Union, 104 from Ghubaiba via Max Fashion station and 106 from Mall of Emirates, usually from 3:15pm to 11:15pm, with a journey of about 30 minutes (Global Village). At the airport, buses leave from Arrivals at Terminals 1, 2 and 3, need a nol card because cash is not accepted, and have dedicated seating and boarding areas for passengers with disabilities (Dubai Airports).

For more outings by bus and boat, see best day trips from Dubai.

How do abras, water taxis and the Dubai Ferry work?

The traditional abra across the Creek costs AED 1 in cash, and Bur Dubai to Deira Old Souq runs from 6am to midnight. Air-conditioned and heritage abras cost AED 2, Marina water taxis AED 7 a stop, and the Dubai Ferry AED 50 one way from Al Ghubaiba to the Marina, or AED 15 to Sharjah.

The RTA runs traditional abras from Bur Dubai to Deira Old Souq and from Dubai Old Souq to Al Sabkha for AED 1 a trip in cash, heritage abras on four Creek routes including Al Seef to Baniyas for AED 2, and an air-conditioned abra from Al Jaddaf to Dubai Festival City for AED 2. The Dubai Water Canal heritage abra makes a round trip of about 45 minutes from Sheikh Zayed Road marine station for AED 25 a person with at least six passengers. The RTA page gives no abra hours; Gulf News lists the Bur Dubai crossing from 6am to midnight and the Al Sabkha crossing as 24-hour (Gulf News, 9 June 2025).

The Marina water taxi links Marina Terrace, Marina Walk, Dubai Marina Mall and Marina Promenade at AED 7 a segment, up to AED 21 for the full route (RTA). Dubai Ferry routes FR1 and FR2 link Dubai Marina Mall or Bluewaters with the Dubai Water Canal and Al Ghubaiba at 1pm and 6pm, for AED 50 in Silver or AED 70 in Gold one way; the Creek round trips (FR3) are paused, and Friday departures pause for prayers from 1pm to 2pm (RTA).

The FR5 ferry to Sharjah Aquarium costs AED 15 in Silver or AED 25 in Gold. From Monday to Thursday it leaves Al Ghubaiba at 7:45am, 10am, 4pm, 5:30pm and 7pm, and from Friday to Sunday at 3pm, 5pm, 8pm and 10pm; children under five travel free (RTA). Children under 12 may not use marine transport unaccompanied and must wear a life jacket on board (RTA).

What are the rules for taxis and ride-hailing in Dubai?

Use licensed taxis, which are cream with coloured roofs, or recognised apps such as Careem, Uber and Bolt. Street-hail trips have an AED 12 minimum and app bookings AED 13, airport pickups start at AED 25, and waiting costs 50 fils a minute. Pink-roofed taxis have female drivers and carry women and families.

The FCDO advises using only licensed taxis or recognised transport such as Careem and Uber, and says Dubai taxis are cream with different coloured roofs and pink-roofed taxis have female drivers. The RTA sets a minimum fare of AED 12 for road pickups and AED 13 for e-hail, adds Salik toll charges and AED 20 for trips through Sharjah, charges 50 fils a minute for waiting, and warns that fares change at peak hours and event locations. You can pay by cash, card, nol card, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and other wallets.

The RTA fare table rendered without values for us. A Gulf News report on the November 2025 revision gives a street-hail flag fall of AED 5 by day and AED 5.50 from 10pm to 6am, a per-kilometre rate of AED 2.14 to 2.26 depending on monthly fuel adjustments, and AED 4 for each Salik gate (Gulf News, 6 November 2025). Dubai Airports says DTC taxis wait at every terminal around the clock from AED 25 plus distance, and Uber, Careem and Bolt pick up at signed points (Dubai Airports).

Dubai Taxi’s families-and-ladies service, with pink roofs and female drivers, can be hailed, taken from airport ranks or booked through the Bolt app (Dubai Taxi). If you drive yourself, the FCDO says visitors with a UK photocard licence can drive, drink-driving is banned at any level, and impounded cars cost AED 50,000 to release plus a fine; read renting a car in the UAE first.

How do you reach the airports, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah by public transport?

From DXB, take the Red Line from Terminals 1 or 3, a bus from Arrivals with a nol card, or a taxi from AED 25. Etihad Rail now runs 10 daily trains to Abu Dhabi from Al Yalayis, beside Jumeirah Golf Estates station, from AED 29. For Sharjah, the FR5 ferry from Al Ghubaiba costs AED 15.

The Red Line serves DXB Terminals 1 and 3 on the same hours as the rest of the Metro, and Dubai Airports allows two pieces of luggage per passenger, including hand luggage, so heavy travellers should take a taxi (Dubai Airports). If your ticket says DWC rather than DXB, read which Dubai airport for the city and DXB vs DWC before you plan the transfer.

Etihad Rail launched Abu Dhabi to Dubai passenger services on 30 September 2026 from Al Yalayis, which a footbridge links to Jumeirah Golf Estates on the Red Line; fares start at AED 29 in Comfort and AED 89 in First, and the app can add a one-day nol ticket for the Metro connection (Gulf News, 30 September 2026). Visit Abu Dhabi gives the journey as 57 minutes to Mohamed Bin Zayed City, opposite Dalma Mall, with booking up to four weeks ahead (Visit Abu Dhabi).

Allow for disruption. The FCDO does not advise against travel to the UAE, but its advice, updated on 24 July 2026 and still current on 16 October, says British nationals should be prepared for possible flight cancellations and airspace closures. A pre-booked car with flight tracking takes the guesswork out of a delayed landing.

How accessible is Dubai’s public transport, and what rules apply on board?

Rail is largely step-free: every Metro station has lift access, trains and trams have wheelchair spaces and tactile paths, and the water taxi and Dubai Ferry carry wheelchairs. Dubai Taxi runs People of Determination taxis, some with lifts. On board, eating or drinking can cost AED 100, and women-and-children cabins are reserved.

The RTA lists lift access to all Metro station levels, contrasting tactile guidance paths, audible and flashing door alerts and dedicated wheelchair spaces on every train, and the tram offers the same guidance paths and wheelchair spaces (RTA). The Dubai Ferry seats up to 98 people including two wheelchairs and has accessible restrooms, and the water taxi has a wheelchair area (RTA). People of Determination travel free with a Personal nol card (RTA), and Etihad Rail says its stations and trains are designed for wheelchair users (Visit Abu Dhabi).

Dubai Taxi’s People of Determination taxis come with or without a wheelchair lift on request, bookable on 80088088 or through Bolt, at AED 8 by day or AED 9 at night plus AED 2.19 a kilometre, or AED 25 plus AED 2.36 a kilometre from airports; SANAD card holders get 50% off (Dubai Taxi). Our accessible travel guide and questions to ask accessible hotels help with the rest.

In Ramadan, the FCDO asks visitors not to eat, drink, smoke or chew gum in public in daytime, including in a car, and warns of erratic driving around dusk. It also says not to photograph people without permission, which applies on platforms and boats too. Families should read Dubai with kids for pacing in the heat.