Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has given its approval to a plan that involves the construction of dedicated lanes for buses and taxis on six major streets, extending a total of 13.1 kilometres.
The streets included in the project are Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, 2nd of December, Al Satwa, Al Nahda, Omar bin Al Khattab, and Naif Streets.
This initiative is part of Dubai’s efforts to expand its network of dedicated bus lanes, which is expected to reach a total length of 20.1 kilometres upon completion between 2025 and 2027, the Dubai Media Office said in a statement on Sunday.
New Dubai lanes for RTA buses and taxis
According to Mattar Al Tayer, the Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Directors at RTA, the introduction of dedicated bus and taxi lanes aligns with successful transportation policies worldwide, aiming to encourage residents to use public transport instead of private vehicles.
“The project is designed to shorten travel times, ensure compliance with bus timetables, increase public transport ridership, and enhance the efficiency of taxi services. It also aims to cut operational costs, step up the integration of various transport modes, and reduce emissions. These elements contribute to supporting a host of strategic goals, such as integrated Dubai, fostering well-being, and raising the happiness of public transport riders,” Al Tayer said.
Journey times around Dubai roads to be reduced, reveals RTA’s Al Tayer
“The expansion of these dedicated bus lanes is projected to decrease bus travel times by rates varying from 24 percent to 59 percent during peak hours and enhance bus arrival time used on the dedicated routes from 28 percent to 56 percent,” he added.
Al Tayer revealed that journey times are expected to be reduced by 59 percent on Naif Street, 54 percent on Al Satwa Road, 50 percent on Omar Bin Al Khattab Street, and 38 percent on Al Nahda Street.
Moreover, bus arrival times are projected to improve by 56 percent on the 2nd of December Street, 52 percent on Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah Street, 48 percent on Al Satwa Road, and 42 percent on Omar bin Khattab Street.
Al Tayer also pointed out that extending dedicated bus lanes will lead to an increase in public transport usage of up to 30 percent on certain roads, as well as reduce the number of buses required to serve those routes, resulting in significant time savings.
The RTA Chairman emphasised the success of previous phases of the dedicated bus lanes project, which had already reduced trip times by approximately 5 minutes per bus on some routes, representing an improvement of around 24 percent.
These positive outcomes have significantly contributed to higher satisfaction ratings among both bus and taxi riders and drivers.
In previous developments, the RTA had already opened dedicated bus lanes spanning a total of 7 kilometres.
This included a combined bus and taxi lane extending 4.3 kilometres on Khalid Bin Al Waleed Road, from the intersection with Al Mina Street to just before its junction with Zaabeel Street, in both directions.
Additional lanes were implemented on Naif Street (1 kilometre), Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah Street (1.2 kilometres from Satwa Roundabout to Sheikh Rashid Road), and Al Ghubaiba Road (0.5 kilometres from the intersection with Al Mina Street to Street No. 12).
