Over 1.5 million people use Dubai Metro during Eid holiday

Dubai’s public transport services were widely used during the Eid Al Fitr holiday earlier this week, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) revealed on Wednesday.

Close to 2.9 million people used public transport means in Dubai during the Eid holiday, the RTA said.

“During the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, the Dubai Metro carried 1,500,899 riders shared between the Red Line (980,278 riders) and the Green Line (520,621 riders),” said Nasir Hamad Bu Shehab, CEO of Strategy and Corporate Governance Sector at RTA.

The number of passengers that used the Dubai Tram reached 55,889, while those that used public buses reached 1,153,555. Marine transport options were used by 181,214 people.

The first day of Eid Al Fitr was observed on Sunday, June 25, and private sector workers were given two days off while public sector workers received three days holiday to mark the occasion.

To meet with additional demand, the RTA increased the services of the Dubai Metro, Tram and public buses during the holiday period.

Read: Dubai’s RTA reveals parking, Metro timings during Eid

The number of taxicabs in the pick-up and drop-off area of Dubai Mall were also increased by 5 per cent.

“The RTA had charted out a comprehensive plan for managing public transport movement during Eid Al-Fitr holiday, which is marked by intense traffic especially in certain hotspots like Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa Downtown,” said Bu Shehab.

“The plan was developed to ensure the integration of mass transit systems and the traffic systems to ensure a smooth mobility of people from and to those areas.”