Dubai: Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has achieved 30% completion on the 14.5 km dedicated Bus and Taxi Lanes Project, which is being implemented across six key streets: 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. Upon completion, the total length of dedicated bus lanes in Dubai will increase to 20.6 km.
According to Emirates News Agency, Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority, emphasized that dedicated bus and taxi lanes are essential for achieving Dubai's sustainable mobility goals. These lanes are designed to make public transport a more attractive and preferred choice for daily commuting by ensuring fast, regular, and reliable services.
Al Tayer explained that the initiative ranks among successful global transport policies, encouraging residents to opt for public transport over private vehicles. The project aims to shorten journey times, improve bus schedule adherence, enhance taxi arrival times, and lower both direct and indirect operational costs. It also aims to increase public transport usage within the community, facilitate smoother integration across various transport modes, and reduce polluting emissions. These collective outcomes align with Dubai's strategic goals for integrated mobility, enhance the quality of life, bring satisfaction to public transport users, and solidify Dubai's reputation as a leader in seamless mobility and urban sustainability.
He further detailed that the expansion of dedicated bus lanes is expected to reduce bus journey times on routes using these lanes during peak hours by 24% to 59%, while expected bus arrival times will improve by 28% to 56%. Specific streets will see notable improvements, with bus journey times projected to fall by 59% on Naif Street, 54% on Al Satwa Street, 50% on Omar bin Al Khattab Street, and 38% on Al Nahda Street. Bus arrival times are also expected to improve by 56% on 2nd December Street, 52% on Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah Street, 48% on Al Satwa Street, and 42% on Omar bin Al Khattab Street.
Beyond improving speed and reliability, the expanded lanes are anticipated to encourage residents and visitors to use public buses, with ridership projected to increase by up to 30% on some streets. The expansion will also reduce the number of buses required to serve these routes due to the journey time savings achieved.
Al Tayer noted that the current expansion builds on the previous success of dedicated bus lanes, which have previously reduced journey times by around 5 minutes per bus, marking a 24% improvement in journey time and increasing satisfaction levels among passengers, bus drivers, and taxi drivers.
The RTA's earlier implementation of 6.1 km of dedicated bus lanes included a separate lane for buses and taxis on Khalid bin Al Waleed Street, extending 4.3 km in both directions from the intersection with Al Mina Street to just before its intersection with Zaa'beel Street. This work also covered sections of Naif Street extending 500 metres, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah Street from Al Satwa Roundabout to Sheikh Rashid Street extending 900 metres, and Al Ghubaiba Street from its intersection with Al Mina Street to Street 12 extending 400 metres.