Dubai expands dedicated bus and taxi lanes as 14.5 km mobility project reaches 30% completion
Six major streets included in the citywide transport improvement initiative
DUBAI – Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has completed 30% of its 14.5 km Dedicated Bus and Taxi Lanes Project, marking progress on a major initiative aimed at improving public transport efficiency across key areas of the emirate.
The project covers six important streets and is designed to provide smoother movement for buses and taxis while supporting Dubai’s sustainable mobility goals. Once completed, the city’s dedicated bus lane network will expand to 20.6 km.
The ongoing works are being carried out across Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah Street, 2nd December Street, Al Satwa Street, Al Nahda Street, Omar Bin Al Khattab Street, and Naif Street. Dedicated bus lanes are considered among leading global transport practices for improving public transport reliability and encouraging more residents and visitors to choose buses for daily journeys.
Faster journeys
Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, said the dedicated lanes represent an important element in achieving Dubai’s sustainable mobility targets by making public transport faster, more reliable, and more attractive.
He said the project supports shorter travel times, improved adherence to schedules, better taxi arrival performance, lower operational costs, and smoother connections between different modes of transport. The initiative also contributes to reducing emissions by encouraging greater use of public transport.
According to Al Tayer, the expansion is expected to reduce bus journey times on routes using the dedicated lanes during peak hours by between 24% and 59%, while improving bus arrival punctuality by between 28% and 56%.
The largest journey time reductions are expected on Naif Street, where travel times could decrease by 59%, followed by Al Satwa Street with a 54% reduction, Omar Bin Al Khattab Street with 50%, and Al Nahda Street with 38%.
Bus arrival performance is projected to improve most significantly on 2nd December Street by 56%, followed by Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah Street by 52%, Al Satwa Street by 48%, and Omar Bin Al Khattab Street by 42%.
Public transport boost
The expanded lanes are also expected to increase bus ridership by up to 30% on some streets as improved speed and reliability encourage more people to use public transport. The reduction in journey times will allow RTA to optimise operations, including reducing the number of buses required on certain routes.
Al Tayer highlighted that the current expansion builds on the success of three previous phases of dedicated bus lane implementation. Those phases helped reduce travel times on selected routes by around five minutes per bus, delivering a 24% improvement in journey efficiency while increasing satisfaction levels among passengers, bus drivers, and taxi drivers.
The project forms part of RTA’s wider efforts to enhance the efficiency of Dubai’s transport system and strengthen integrated mobility solutions across the city.
Earlier phases
RTA has previously developed 6.1 km of dedicated bus lanes across several locations. These include a shared bus and taxi lane on Khalid bin Al Waleed Street, stretching 4.3 km in both directions from its intersection with Al Mina Street to just before Zaa’beel Street.
The earlier works also included a 500-metre section on Naif Street, a 900-metre stretch on Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah Street between Al Satwa Roundabout and Sheikh Rashid Street, and a 400-metre section on Al Ghubaiba Street from its intersection with Al Mina Street to Street 12.