Dubai's transport network carried 2,836,859 passengers during the New Year 2026 celebrations, according to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). That was 334,385 more journeys than the previous New Year's Eve, an increase of 13.4% based on the exact totals published by the authority.
The date labels can be confusing. RTA's "New Year 2026" figure covers the night of 31 December 2025 into 1 January 2026. Its "New Year 2025" comparison covers the same celebration one year earlier. Both totals combine Dubai Metro, Tram, public buses, taxis, marine transport, e-hailing and shared mobility.
Dubai New Year transport ridership compared
The percentages above are Dubai.News calculations from the passenger counts published by RTA. Rounding each mode separately can make the displayed percentages look slightly different from the change in the combined total.
Metro carried the largest share
Dubai Metro remained the backbone of the New Year operation. Its Red and Green lines carried 1,249,636 passengers, equal to about 44% of all journeys in the combined total. Metro also produced the largest rise in passenger numbers: 116,385 more trips than the previous celebration.
That does not mean every Metro station handled demand in the same way. New Year plans normally include temporary road controls, station-specific crowd management and changes around the busiest celebration areas. Anyone travelling on a future New Year's Eve should check the RTA journey planner and live announcements rather than assuming that the previous year's arrangements will repeat exactly.
E-hailing recorded the fastest growth
E-hailing was the fastest-growing mode in percentage terms. Passenger numbers rose from 195,651 to 286,135, a gain of 46.2%. That increase of 90,484 passengers was almost identical to the additional number carried by conventional taxis, which rose by 90,440.
Taxis still carried substantially more people overall, with 661,538 passengers. Taken together, taxis and e-hailing accounted for 947,673 journeys. Their growth suggests that door-to-door options remained an important part of moving people away from celebration areas after mass-transit trips or where rail was less convenient.
Buses grew while marine transport dipped
Public buses and bus-on-demand services carried 503,264 passengers, up 8.0% from 465,779. Dubai Tram carried 58,052 passengers, a smaller rise of 4.8%.
Marine transport was the only category to decline. Its total fell by 3,321 passengers, or 4.1%, to 76,745. A one-night fall does not establish a wider trend: marine services depend heavily on routes, operating hours, waterfront access and the locations of that year's celebrations.
What the 2.84 million figure includes
The headline total is broader than public transport alone in the everyday sense. RTA combined Metro, Tram, buses and marine services with taxis, app-based e-hailing and shared mobility. It is therefore best understood as a count across Dubai's integrated transport operation for the celebration, not as Metro-and-bus ridership only.
It is also a passenger count, not a count of unique individuals. A person who used more than one mode could contribute to more than one service total. The figures are useful for comparing the scale and mix of the two New Year operations, but they should not be read as a forecast for an ordinary day.
What passengers should take from the comparison
The clearest lesson is that Dubai moved a much larger New Year crowd without relying on one mode alone. Metro carried the largest share, while buses, taxis and e-hailing absorbed substantial demand across the city. The sharp rise in booked car journeys also shows why travellers should expect busy pickup areas and allow extra time even when rail services are extended.
For everyday travel, Dubai residents and visitors can also compare fare options and eligibility in our guide to the student nol card and its transport discount (https://dubai.news/transport/new-nol-card-offers-50-discount-on-dubai-public-transport-and-70-off-at-retail-stores/). Event-night hours, closures and station access should always be checked directly with RTA closer to the date.
How to read the year-on-year change
The 13.4% increase is a useful benchmark, but it is not a like-for-like measure of a fixed service. The locations and scale of celebrations, operating plans, road closures, service hours and the way modes are grouped can change from one year to the next. RTA's 2026 release, for example, describes the bus figure as including public buses and bus-on-demand services.
For that reason, the comparison shows how reported passenger use changed across two major event nights. It does not prove that demand will grow at the same rate next year, and it should not be used to estimate service levels without the current RTA operating plan.
The bottom line
Dubai's combined New Year transport ridership rose from 2,502,474 to 2,836,859 passengers. Metro delivered the largest numerical increase, e-hailing grew fastest in percentage terms, and marine transport was the only mode to record a decline. The result shows the scale of the citywide operation more clearly when the individual modes are compared, rather than treating 2.84 million as a single unexplained headline number.
Clarification: This article has been updated to distinguish the celebration-year labels from the calendar dates and to compare RTA's complete New Year 2025 and New Year 2026 mode totals. The percentage changes are Dubai.News calculations based on the authority's published passenger counts.
Source: Roads and Transport Authority: 2.8 Million Passengers Used Public Transport on New Year's Eve 2026 (https://www.rta.ae/wps/portal/rta/ae/home/news-and-media/all-news/NewsDetails/2-million-passengers-used-public-transport-on-new-year-eve-2026).
Full mode-by-mode comparison
The table below compares every transport category reported by RTA across the two New Year celebrations.
Transport mode | New Year 2025 | New Year 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
Dubai Metro | 1,133,251 | 1,249,636 | +116,385 (+10.3%) |
Dubai Tram | 55,391 | 58,052 | +2,661 (+4.8%) |
Public buses | 465,779 | 503,264 | +37,485 (+8.0%) |
Taxis | 571,098 | 661,538 | +90,440 (+15.8%) |
Marine transport | 80,066 | 76,745 | -3,321 (-4.1%) |
E-hailing | 195,651 | 286,135 | +90,484 (+46.2%) |
Shared mobility | 1,238 | 1,489 | +251 (+20.3%) |
Total | 2,502,474 | 2,836,859 | +334,385 (+13.4%) |
