The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced new pricing, packages and discounts for metro, tram and buses from 11 November, when the Dubai Tram opens.
- Discounts: All students, seniors over the age of 60 and people on social welfare benefits will now get a 50 percent discount on public transport in Dubai – previously the discounts were not available to residents, only citizens.
- Packages: Users of the Dubai Metro, Dubai Tram and public buses will be able to get discounts of up to 47 percent with the Nol card weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual packages.
- Price increases: Prices are actually going up, however – a daily ticket has jumped from AED 14 to AED 20 for silver card-holders, and from AED 28 to AED 50 for gold. And monthly Nol package prices are also increasing – a multi-zone silver pass will cost AED 350, instead of the current AED 270.
- New zones: Subscription to the packages is now divided into three levels; single zone (1) for commuters on Dubai Metro, Dubai Tram and public buses within one zone, 2 to move between two zones, and a multi-zone option (3) to move around all zones of the emirate.
Silver Packages
| Single zone | Two zones | Multi-zone | |
| Weekly | 50 | 80 | 110 |
| Monthly | 140 | 230 | 350 |
| Quarterly | 330 | 550 | 830 |
| Annual | 1060 | 1770 | 2670 |
Gold Packages
| Single zone | Two zones | Multi-zone | |
| Weekly | 100 | 160 | 220 |
| Monthly | 280 | 460 | 700 |
| Quarterly | 660 | 1100 | 1660 |
| Annual | 2120 | 3540 | 5340 |
- Daily Silver subscription will cost AED 20 and will enable the user to travel all over the emirate.
- Students, seniors and social benefit receivers will get a 50 percent discount on all packages, except for the daily package.
- Subscription to the daily Gold package will cost AED 40.
Number of passengers and expansion plans
Dubai Metro
- A million passengers are expected to use the Dubai Metro on News Year’s Eve, compared to 750,000 last year.
- Some 138 million people used the Metro in 2013
- So far this year, 119 million passengers have used the service from January to September.
- To meet demand the RTA is planning to buy between 25 and 35 new trains by 2020, as well as extend the Red and Green lines.
- Part of the plan is to extend the red line to Al Maktoum Airport and the Expo 2020 site, and from Rashidiya to Mirdif City Centre.
- Proposals for the green line will see the track extend from Jadaf to International City and Academic City.
Dubai Tram
- Eight trams will be used to service 11 stations at launch, with three more trams coming and two further stations.
- The trams have a capacity of about 400 people
- The RTA estimates 200,000 people will use them each year.
By 2030, the RTA wants 30 per cent of people in the city to use public transport.”
How to buy a Nol package for Dubai Transport
The RTA says the process to buy a subscription is simple:
- Select the type of NOL card (Blue, Gold, Silver or Red Ticket)
- Subscribers to Personalised NOL cards select their category (students, seniors, disabled, ordinary users) to get applicable discounts
- Once the type of card is selected, the user has to select the type of subscription (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual)
- The customer then selects the travel zone (level 1, level 2, level 3)
- Once all details are completed and the subscription amount is paid, the operator will then process the subscription of the card
- The operator will activate the subscription within five days of purchase, otherwise the card will be activated automatically after five days
- The customer can then use the card when traveling on the Dubai Metro, Dubai Tram and public buses.
Misleading headline. People are already aware of the discount packages mentioned here. Emphasis should be given on the fact that, prices are really going up. Thanks for the information though. As a current blue card holder on a monthly plan for travelling between two zones, to pay Dhs 230/- instead of previous Dhs 180/- will hurt me.
Thanks Shairmaine – the discounts for students and senior residents are completely new – previously they were available to UAE nationals only. Sorry the price rises are a pain point for you!
every thing going rise from 100 to 140 why like this it’s really hurt me
Intentional and very misleading headline. Just to get people to read huh? What a shame. Bad journalism, bad reporting! Can you say it as it is, please? “Dubai Metro Increases Prices by 57%”
Well, Shiloh – they did announce both packages and half-price offers – and it would be wrong to say they increased prices by 57 percent too, as that was not a blanket increase either…
monthly for blue card is currently 270 for Multi-zone.. the new pricing is 350, WHERE is that ‘Half-Price’?…. the headline must be, NOL PRICE HIKE! is the author really a FAIR journalist? haha I doubt.
Jon, I’d like to think I’m fair, yes! Half-price offers were announced and the price structure has changed quite a lot so there’s no one headline that would easily explain that.
Incredibly misleading headline.Came here thinking I was about to obtain some new information.
What the author seems to miss is that the vast majority of metro users are working class people between the ages of 20-50 and are from countries whose people are not paid well here.
This article should be about is a significant price rise with no visible benefits as people travel packed like cattle at what used to be an acceptable cost(which will now have to be swallowed anyway).
First of all thats not fair… lol but does it benefit the commuters? NO
look inside the metro or have you tried it? commuters are being pack in big CAN, it used to have personnel inside the train on a daily basis but where are they now? and please dont tell us to take taxi as the fare also increased!