The Dubai Metro- you cannot see the driver as there isn't one! ( see towards the end of the blog in the taxi section for more on RTA trialing driverless taxis!)
One of my favourite things about staying in Dubai is RTA. I can leave my car behind in Bahrain , and use the public transport , as the RTA network is so good here. Even better, as I have a hire car in Bahrain, as my brother reminded me, I can return it to the car hire company for cleaning and service, save on airport parking and save 240 bd , 480 GBP in car hire charges for 2 months!
How much does it cost to get around Dubai?
Well you buy a Nol card and use it on all RTA modes of transport. Erickson reminded me yesterday that he bought my current Nol card for me back in December 2020 and I have stayed here for 5 months since then and it still has credit on it. He loaded it with 100 AED or 10 BHD or 20 GBP and it's lasted 5 months- amazing.
The problem in Dubai is its full of acronyms. So for those outside Dubai:
RTA stands for Roads and Transport authority - they control all forms of public transport and vehicle licensing, vehicle fines etc. You can visit their excellent website at https://www.rta.ae/wps/portal/rta/ae/home?lang=ar
"The Nol Card is an electronic ticketing card that was released in for all mode of public transport in Dubai services, on August 2009. The word Nol is an Arabic word نول for fare. The Nol Card system was developed by Hong Kong-based company Octopus Cards Limited."
So how can you get around Dubai?
Firstly we have the Metro- two lines, red and green. You can plan your route on the RTA website like this:
So for me to go from my apartment at Adagio n Al Barsha to the Expo 2020 site will take 29 minutes on the red line and cost me 7.5 AED (which is 1.5 GBP or 770 fills , 104.68 Philippine peso)
A typical Dubai Metro station
Once you get to the metro station , which looks like a Armadillo, it is very well signposted and you just click in with your Nol card, go to the platform, wait for the train ( the signs tell you how long it will be ) and hop on. Remember there is no smoking, eating or chewing gum on the metro, but you can eat in the station and there are Zoom shops to buy snacks and drinks and a machine to top up your NOL card. Smoking is not allowed in the station. If you have a UAE mobile number you can access Wi-Fi in the stations for free. Each train has a Gold VIP carriage at the front ( more expensive ) and a Women and Children pink carriage at the rear. There are fines for getting in the wrong carriage and twice an inspector has checked my Nol card on the journey. There are announcements in English and Arabic on the metro trains telling you when the doors are closing, what the next station is and where the interchanges are ( red and green line and metro and tram)
Some of the Metro stations have changed their names so for example Al Fahidi became Sharaf DG - so if you use an old map it can be confusing. This is because companies and banks like Mashreq and Bank ABDC and retail stores like Sharaf DG pay to sponsor Metro stations near their locations.
If you click on the link below it shows all the stations and whether they have parking or not. If you live outside of the area covered by the Metro ( and it will be extended again shortly) you can drive to the nearest Metro station , park your car and then take the metro downtown for example or to Mall of the Emirates.
It is because of these constant changes Dubai Metro Platforms no longer have names but just numbers:
"Dubai metro stations will no longer have names. Yes, you read that right! Dubai RTA in a recent announcement said that platforms will no longer have names, but the number just numbers. All Dubai Metro station platforms will be now allocated “unique numbers” and will no longer have names. That means you can no longer address stations as Al Fahidi, BurJuman or Stadium"
Source: https://curlytales.com/dubai-metro-platforms-will-no-longer-have-names-but-just-numbers/ ( Accessed 08.02.22)
With Expo 2020 which ran from October 2021 to March 2022 they extended the Metro line as the site had over 20 million visitors over its 6 month run. The site will now be turned into a new city. While building the extension they added some other new stations along the way:
"In July last year, HH Sheikh Mohammed inaugurated seven new metro stations of Route 2020. In his tweet, HH said:
“47 months ago about the extension of the Dubai Metro red line at a cost of 11 billion dirhams .. Today we are launching our project .. 50 trains .. 7 stations .. 125,000 passengers daily .. 12,000 engineers and technicians and 80 million hours of work to complete our work on time as we promised .. we say what we do .. and we do what we say .. this is Dubai”
The project costs a whopping AED 11 billion and is the hard work of 12,000 engineers and technicians, 50 trains, 7 stations and 80 million working hours. “We say what we do, and do what we say, this is Dubai,” Sheikh Mohammed tweeted. "
Source: https://curlytales.com/dubai-metro-platforms-will-no-longer-have-names-but-just-numbers/ ( Accessed 08.02.22)
The Metro network is simple and easy to use with two lines , red and green:
There are maps like this in every carriage, each station is numbered , and there are big signs in each station telling you which platform you need. Some stations have multiple exits ( like Sharaf DG which has 4 exits ) but they are all numbered. If you are meeting someone then its best to say - "see you at Exit one at 5. 30 pm" for example.
The massive station at BurJurman- the red green line interchange
The only place it is easy to get lost is at the red green line interchange stations ( BurJurman for example) where there are two underground lines sat one above the other, with two platforms each. So to go from one direction on the red line ( eg from Mashreq) you have to go down the platform and then up to the green line and then cross over to the other side to get the green line to Sharaf DG). Now they have removed the names its best to find out which platform number you need to go to! ( eg from 1 on the red line to 4 on the green line)
I hope that gives you a good feel for how easy it is to use the Metro in Dubai and we have made a Vlog for you to get a better idea of what it is like to travel on the Metro:
As I mentioned earlier the Metro is only one part of RTA so I now want to focus on the others
TRAM
I first came across the Dubai Tram when I used to stay in Pav's apartment in JBR as there is a Tram stop just outside the entrance to her building. The tram route is quite short and as the tram runs between the two road carriageways and over a bridge to JLT tram station it is quite slow.
TBK travels with RTA
However its useful to connect between JBR and the Metro and it's quite sweet to watch. Run by RTA it accepts the NOL card and is as easy to use as the metro. The big difference this year is that you can get a seat in the tram which is now very rare in the Metro!
The Dubai Tram is often decorated with various adverts
WATER TAXI
TBK on a water taxi
Another favourite of mine from staying with Pav next to Dubai Marina. I discovered the water taxi when I went to Marina Mall with then ILM office Manager in Dubai , Mirasol. We had lunch at the Mall and then I caught the water taxi to JBR to get to Pav's flat. There are two services from Marina Mall - in the morning it goes to the end of the Marina by the Grosvenor hotel, and in the afternoon to JBR. Of course the inevitable happened when I went on it with Jeboy this year and we got on the wrong boat which gave us a long walk back to JBR! There is also a water taxi to DFC where Jeboy works at the Cheesecake factory and you can travel with RTA down the Dubai Canal
BUS
TBK on the bus in the same seat as MK was sleeping when I got on his bus !
The only similarity, currently, between public transport and Bahrain and Dubai is the bus! Red in Bahrain and cream in Dubai ( although the coaches to Expo have the Expo logos and pictures on the outside). Once again you can use your Nol card on the bus and you tap in at the front door and out at the back door. The larger bus stations and bus stops have electronic information panels telling you when the next bus will arrive and some bus stops are air conditioned to make them bearable in summer. Finally I should explain that when planning your route from A to B on the web site it will show you all modes of RTA transport with their timings. If we take a more complex route like Mashreq to the Iranian Hospital this is what we get:
Using this excellent tool on 3 occasions this trip MK planned his route from the Iranian hospital and I planned my route from the Novotel and we both arrived at exactly the same time!
TAXI
The last RTA mode of transport for this blog are taxis and I use these when the metro does not go where I want ( example, Miracle Garden) , I am in a hurry, tired ( like on the way back from Bluewater having travelled there by metro, tram and water taxi and a lot of walking on a hot humid day) and when the Metro is too crowded ( like after the Lea Salonga concert at Expo 2020 on Christmas Day night.)
Compared to Bahrain and Omani taxis ( usually driven by locals in Traditional dress) most Dubai Taxis are driven by Pakistanis in the smart RTA uniform. Unlike Oman all taxis have meters and you can pay by credit card or in some taxis with your Nol card . You can always ask for a receipt. There are airport taxis ( green roof and AT before the number) which have a higher minimum charge as they have to wait a long time to get their fares. The taxis at EXPO 2020 have a similar higher minimum charge for the same reason. Taxis can be booked on line through an app like Careem , or flagged down in the street. As long as it's not raining there are always lots of taxis outside the hotels and Malls. When it rains all taxis disappear!
There are different size taxis ( saloon car and the larger taxis ( which with my hip replacement I find easier to get in and out of.)) There are even pink roofed taxis driven by women for women passengers ( although they can pick up men like when Jeboy and I returned from Miracle Garden. )
Never one to rest on its laurels RTA recently announced the purchase of more hybrid taxis and as I finished this blog this headline caught my eye:
Dubai: RTA announces trial of driverless taxis by end of 2022
Taxi fares: AED 1.75/km (USD0.48). The required minimum amount of taxi fare is AED 12 (USD3.27). The fare for a short 10km trip will be no more than AED 17.5 (USD4.76).
Source : https://www.travelvui.com/ ( accessed 13.2.22)
In conclusion:
Thanks to RTA Dubai is very easy to get around. There is also currently a coach service from Dubai to Abu Dhabi . The Government here recently announced plans to have a rail line run by Emirates between the Emirates.
Spookily as I was writing this blog my namesake in Bahrain emailed me to remind me I had promised to write a Blog about the Bus network in Bahrain...keep watching the Blogs, Mr Gilbert! Your wishes are our command!
Meanwhile this is TBK concluding his travels around Dubai and heading back to Bahrain to be reunited with his little Nissan Micra. It is one of 24 vehicles on hire to Bapco ( and ex Bapco) employees from Yacouby car hire in East Ekker . Please speak to Shawn Lambie or myself if you need a car and we will put you in touch with LLen and get you a special rate!)
Ingat palagi and Kita kits Bahrain
Hello, I am The British Kabayan! Feel free to read my stories.
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