Dubai , June 21, 2026 : Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has completed 30%
of the 14.5 km dedicated Bus and Taxi Lanes Project, which is being
implemented across 6 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.
His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the
Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority,
stated that dedicated bus and taxi lanes are a key enabler of
Dubai’s sustainable mobility targets. They support efforts to make
public transport the preferred and more attractive choice for daily
mobility by providing fast, regular, and reliable services.
Al Tayer added: “The project ranks among the world’s leading
practices and successful transport policies for encouraging residents
to use public transport instead of private vehicles. It targets shorter
journey times, improved adherence to bus schedules, better taxi
arrival times, and lower direct and indirect operational costs, while
also supporting greater public transport uptake across the
community, smoother integration across transport modes, and
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reduced polluting emissions. Collectively, these outcomes advance
the strategic goal of integrated Dubai, enhance quality of life, bring
happiness to public transport users, and reinforce Dubai’s standing
as a world-leading city in seamless mobility and urban
sustainability.”
He added: “The expansion of dedicated bus lanes will reduce bus
journey times on routes using these lanes during peak hours by
24% to 59%, while improving expected bus arrival times by 28% to
56%. Bus journey times are expected 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 speed and reliability, Al Tayer noted that the expanded
lanes are expected 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.
He explained that the current expansion builds on the major success
achieved across the previous three phases of dedicated bus lanes.
These phases helped reduce journey times on some bus routes by
around 5 minutes per bus, marking a 24% improvement in journey
time, while also increasing satisfaction levels among passengers,
bus drivers, and taxi drivers.
It is worth noting that RTA previously implemented 6.1 km of
dedicated bus lanes. These included a separate lane for buses and
taxis on Khalid bin Al Waleed Street, extending 4.3 km in both
directions from the intersection of Khalid bin Al Waleed Street with
Al Mina Street to just before its intersection with Zaa’beel Street.
The works 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.
