What Do the Metro, Buses and Taxis Cost in the UAE?
Getting around inside a UAE city is cheap on public transport and predictable in a taxi: a metro, tram or city-bus journey costs AED 3–7.50 on a Silver Nol card in the largest city and AED 2–5 on a Hafilat card in the capital, while a metered taxi starts at AED 5 and runs at about AED 2.23 per kilometre in the largest city and AED 1.82 per kilometre in the capital — all from published transport-authority fares retrieved on 3 November 2026. A normal sightseeing day costs about AED 14–20 on public transport, or AED 60–90 with Gold Class and taxis mixed in. This page prices each mode city by city and shows plainly where sources disagree.
Last updated: 3 November 2026 · Sources: RTA and Abu Dhabi Mobility published fares, SRTA tariff reports, RTA ferry flyer — full list at the end of this page
What does the metro cost, and how do the zones work?
The fare depends not on distance or stops, but on how many of the RTA’s seven fare zones your journey passes through. One table covers the metro, the city buses and — in practice — the tram:
| Journey | Silver / Blue card | Gold Class | Red Ticket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Within 1 zone | AED 3 | AED 6 | AED 4 |
| Across 2 adjacent zones | AED 5 | AED 10 | AED 6 |
| Across more than 2 zones | AED 7.50 | AED 15 | AED 8.50 |
Gold Class is exactly double the standard fare for the front cabin on metro and tram; on buses a Gold card pays the Silver rate. Eligible students, senior residents and people of determination pay half the Silver fare (AED 1.50 / 2.50 / 3.75), and children aged five and under travel free. You need at least AED 7.50 on the card to start a journey. Transfers between modes count as one journey when each transfer starts within 30 minutes of the previous check-out, up to three transfers and 180 minutes in total — so a metro ride plus a feeder bus is usually one fare, not two. And you tap in and out: skip the tap-out and the system charges the maximum fare.
Which Nol card should you buy?
| Card or ticket | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Silver card | AED 25, including AED 19 credit | The standard card; valid 5 years; holds up to AED 1,000 |
| Gold card | AED 25, including AED 19 credit | Same card, Gold Class access at double fares |
| Blue Personal card | AED 70, including AED 20 credit | Named card with balance protection |
| Red Ticket | AED 2, plus fares | Paper ticket; 90 days, up to 10 trips or 5 day passes |
| 1-day pass (on a Red Ticket) | AED 20 Regular / AED 40 Gold | Unlimited journeys, all zones, one service day |
| 7-day / 30-day pass (Silver, all zones) | AED 110 / AED 350 | Unlimited travel |
For almost every visitor the answer is the Silver card: the AED 6 of its price that is not credit is recovered within two journeys, because a Red Ticket charges AED 1–1.50 more per trip. The Red Ticket’s real use is as the carrier for the 1-day pass at AED 20, which pays for itself on the third long journey (three Red Ticket cross-city singles cost AED 25.50). The same products are also sold as QR tickets in the nol Pay and S’hail apps (since October 2026): the QR single costs AED 2 more per transaction (AED 6 / 8 / 10.50) and its day pass is AED 22, not AED 20. Both figures are real — two different products — which is why some guides quote AED 22.
One warning: many guides state that a Silver card stops charging at AED 14 a day, but a fares guide working from the RTA’s current fare page states that no automatic daily cap is published at all. The sources retrieved here cannot settle it — do not plan around a cap; buy the AED 20 day pass instead, whose price is not in dispute. First-trip context: our UAE trip cost breakdown and visit visa costs guide.
What do city buses, the tram and the boats cost?
City buses run on the same zone table as the metro — AED 3, 5 or 7.50 on a Silver card — and they are Nol only: cash is not accepted, and the bus sells no cards, so buy and top up at a metro station first. (One guide describes the bus fare as a flat AED 3; that contradicts the RTA zone table reproduced by every other source retrieved here.) The tram is simpler: its whole route sits inside one fare zone, so a tram-only journey costs the one-zone fare whatever the distance — AED 3 on Silver, AED 6 in Gold Class, AED 4 on a Red Ticket.
The traditional wooden abra across the creek costs AED 1 a person, in cash — the cheapest ride in the country. The air-conditioned and heritage abras on longer creek routes cost AED 2, and the water bus runs at about AED 4–7 by route. The ferry is a sightseeing product, not a commute: RTA’s current flyer prices short canal legs at AED 25 Silver / AED 35 Gold per stop, the Sharjah route at AED 15 / 25, and the round trip at AED 50 / 75, with children under five free on most routes. One route guide prices the canal route at AED 50 one way against the flyer’s AED 25 per stop; the flyer is the operator’s own document, so plan on AED 15–75 by route and class.
What do taxis charge?
| Charge | Largest city (RTA) | Capital | Sharjah |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flag fall, day | AED 5 | AED 5 | AED 3 |
| Flag fall, night | AED 5.50 | AED 5.50 | AED 4 |
| Per kilometre | AED 2.23 (see text) | AED 1.82 | ≈ AED 1.61 |
| Airport start | AED 20 car / AED 25 van | AED 20–25 | + AED 20 surcharge |
| Minimum fare | AED 12 (AED 13 by app) | AED 12 | AED 10–14 |
In the largest city the meter is the fare: a AED 5 flag fall (AED 5.50 from 22:00 to 06:00), then a per-kilometre rate the RTA adjusts monthly with fuel prices. RTA’s current taxi service page lists AED 2.23 per kilometre; with recent sources spanning AED 2.14–2.33, treat it as today’s figure inside a moving range. Waiting time is 50 fils a minute, tolls are added as you pass them, and a trip through a neighbouring emirate adds AED 20. From the airport the start is AED 20 for a car and AED 25 for a van on the RTA fare page (October 2026 reporting) — the flat “AED 25” quoted by many guides is the van figure — at about AED 2.62 per kilometre. A 10-kilometre street-hail ride lands near AED 27 before tolls; from the airport, near AED 46. See also our guide to which airport to fly into.
Booking through an app changes the start, not the meter. Since November 2025, app bookings (Careem, S’hail, Bolt and similar apps) add a time-based booking fee — AED 4 off-peak, AED 4.50 at night, AED 7.50 at peak — on top of the same flag fall, and the app minimum fare is AED 13 instead of AED 12. An app taxi therefore starts at AED 9, 10 or up to AED 13 before it moves, where a street hail starts at AED 5. Hala, the RTA’s joint venture inside the Careem app, books these same metered taxis at this same tariff, with no surge pricing — and it is already the RTA’s biggest booking channel.
How does the capital’s Hafilat system compare?
The capital runs the cheapest city network in the country, with no zone table: Abu Dhabi Mobility’s published fare is a AED 2 boarding fee plus 5 fils per kilometre, capped at AED 5 a journey however far you ride. A short hop costs about AED 2.50; a long cross-city ride stops at AED 5. Transfers between standard services attract no second boarding fee, children aged ten and under travel free, and the airport bus into the city costs about AED 4.
Payment is by the Hafilat card only — cash is not accepted on board, and neither city’s card works in the other city. The standard anonymous card costs AED 10, and you need at least AED 5 of balance to board. Regular riders buy passes, and here the published figures genuinely split: the 7-day pass is listed at AED 30 in the authority’s figures as reported by two guides and at AED 35 in two others, and the 30-day pass at AED 80–95 on the same split — confirm the current price in the Darb app before you load one. Capital taxis start at the same AED 5 / 5.50 flag fall but run cheaper per kilometre — AED 1.82, with the same waiting charge and a AED 12 minimum — and airport starts are listed at AED 20 in the fare calculators and AED 25 in one transport overview, so budget the range.
What about Sharjah and the other emirates?
Sharjah is the third system, and it works the old way: its Mowasalat city buses still take cash. The operator’s fare list prices a city journey at AED 7 with a Sayer card and AED 9 in cash; other current guides price it at AED 6 by card and AED 8 in cash, so plan on AED 6–7 by card, AED 8–9 in cash. The Sayer Blue card is pay-as-you-go and saves AED 2 a trip against cash on either version; a 30-day Grey card is reported at AED 225. Sharjah taxis are the cheapest metered start in the country — AED 3 by day, AED 4 at night, then AED 0.25 per 155 metres (about AED 1.61 a kilometre), with AED 20 surcharges for airport pickups and trips into another emirate. Published minimums disagree — AED 10 in one tariff table, AED 14 in other guides — so a very short hop costs somewhere in that band.
Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have no metro or tram; each runs local buses and metered taxis. No published local bus fare for those emirates could be verified from the sources retrieved here, so this page quotes none rather than borrow an unsourced number. How those cities connect to the rest of the country is priced route by route in our companion guide to travelling between UAE cities, and none of its fare tables is repeated here.
What does a day of getting around actually cost?
Built only from the fares above:
| One day, per person | Public transport only | With taxis / Gold Class |
|---|---|---|
| Largest city | About AED 14–20 (or a flat AED 20 day pass) | About AED 60–90 |
| Capital | About AED 8–12 | About AED 45–70 |
| Sharjah | About AED 24–28 by card (AED 32–36 cash) | Taxis from a AED 3 start; short hops at the AED 10–14 minimum |
The largest-city budget day is three metro or bus journeys (AED 3 + 5 + 7.50) plus an abra or tram hop — AED 16.50–18.50 in total; a lighter two-journey day is nearer AED 11. The comfort day is a Gold Class cross-town ride (AED 10), a Gold tram hop (AED 6), one 10-kilometre taxi (about AED 27) and one short app-booked taxi at its AED 13 minimum — about AED 56 before tolls, rising towards AED 90 if an airport taxi replaces the short hop. In the capital, four bus journeys at AED 2.50–4 each come to AED 10–16 — and cannot pass AED 20 in total — while two 8-kilometre taxis (about AED 20 each) plus buses make the AED 45–70 comfort band. As in our trip cost guide, public transport is a single-dirham decision; the taxi is the only line that moves a day’s total. The cheapest time to visit guide prices the weeks when the rest of the trip costs least.
FAQs
Can I pay cash on a city bus?
In the largest city and the capital, no — buses there are card-only (Nol and Hafilat respectively). In Sharjah, yes, at the higher fare: AED 8–9 against AED 6–7 by Sayer card. The creek abra is the opposite case: AED 1, in cash.
Does one card work in every emirate?
No. Each system is separate — Nol in the largest city, Hafilat in the capital, Sayer in Sharjah — and none is accepted on the others’ buses. Crossing systems means carrying both cards: AED 25 for a Silver Nol (AED 19 of it credit) and AED 10 for a Hafilat.
Is the unlimited day pass worth it?
It costs AED 20 on a Red Ticket and breaks even on the third long journey of the day (three cross-city singles cost AED 25.50 on a Red Ticket, AED 22.50 on a Silver card). For one or two journeys, pay per ride on a Silver card instead. The pass runs to the end of the service day, not 24 hours from purchase.
Why does the same taxi ride start at three different prices?
Because the start depends on how and where you board: AED 5 hailed on the street, AED 9–13 booked through an app, and AED 20–25 from an airport rank. After the start, the same regulated meter rate applies.
What is the cheapest ride in the country?
The creek abra at AED 1 in cash. The cheapest card journey is a short capital bus ride at just over AED 2, and the cheapest rail journey is a one-zone metro ride at AED 3 on a Silver card.
Data sources used on this page:
- RTA — taxi service details (minimum AED 12 road / AED 13 e-hail; waiting 50 fils/min; AED 2.23 per km; updated 29 Sep 2026) — https://www.rta.ae/wps/portal/rta/ae/home/rta-services/service-details?serviceId=204 and https://www.rta.ae/wps/portal/rta/ae/home/rta-services/service-details?serviceId=205 — retrieved 3 November 2026
- Emirates 24/7 — nol card guide 2026 (card prices; fare tiers; 6 Oct 2026) — https://www.emirates247.com/uae-guide/dubai-nol-card-guide-2026-which-card-should-you-get-how-much-does-it-cost-and-where-can-you-use-it/6390?ot=ot.AMPPageLayout — retrieved 3 November 2026
- Emirates 24/7 — QR ticket launch (QR fares; day pass AED 22 / 42; 9 Oct 2026) — https://www.emirates247.com/uae-guide/dubai-rtas-new-qr-ticket-how-to-ride-the-metro-bus-or-tram-using-a-qr-code/6554?ot=ot.AMPPageLayout — retrieved 3 November 2026
- Pearlshire and Zagdim — Metro fare guides (RTA nol fares page, Oct 2026; transfer rules) — https://www.pearlshire.com/blogs/dubai-metro-map-2026 and https://zagdim.com/en/living-abroad/dubai-metro-ticket-qr-nol-card-guide/ — retrieved 3 November 2026
- Nol fare calculator, pass and card-type guides (Red/concession tiers; pass prices; Red Ticket AED 2) — https://nolcardbalanceonline.com/nol-fare-calculator/ and https://nolcardbalanceonline.com/dubai-metro-daily-pass/ and https://nolcardscheck.com/nol-1-day-pass/ — retrieved 3 November 2026
- Dubai Metro Trains — fares (no automatic daily cap on current RTA page; day pass AED 20 / 40) — https://dubaimetrotrains.com/tickets-fares/ — retrieved 3 November 2026
- dubizzle — RTA buses guide (bus zone fare table; Nol only) — https://www.dubizzle.com/blog/cars/buses-dubai-rta/ — retrieved 3 November 2026
- DubaiChecked — abra and ferry fares (RTA flyers; checked Oct 2026) — https://dubaichecked.com/how-much-is-an-abra-ride/ and https://dubaichecked.com/how-much-is-a-ferry-ride/ — retrieved 3 November 2026
- UAE Government Portal — waterways (ferry fares; source: RTA) — https://beta.government.ae/en/information-and-services/transportation/waterways — retrieved 3 November 2026
- Gulf News — app taxi fare revision (booking fees; app minimum AED 13; Nov 2025) — https://gulfnews.com/uae/transport/rta-revises-dubai-taxi-fares-whats-changing-for-app-users-all-you-must-know-1.500335199 — retrieved 3 November 2026
- Dubai Expat Blog — taxi fares 2026 (RTA/DTC rates, Oct 2026) — https://dubaiexpatblog.com/dubai-taxi-fares/ — retrieved 3 November 2026
- Dubai Fast Living — taxi apps guide (Hala at the RTA tariff; Oct 2026) — https://dubaifastliving.com/taxi-apps-dubai/ — retrieved 3 November 2026
- Abu Dhabi Mobility — public transport and Hafilat fares (official fare formula and cap) — https://admobility.gov.ae/en/pb-bus-service/hafilat-public-buses-fees — retrieved 3 November 2026
- Abu Dhabi Trip — getting around guide (Hafilat card and pass figures) — https://www.abudhabi-trip.com/guides/getting-around-abu-dhabi/ — retrieved 3 November 2026
- Property Finder — capital taxi fare guide — https://www.propertyfinder.ae/blog/taxi-fare-calculator-abu-dhabi/ — retrieved 3 November 2026
- dubizzle — capital taxi and public transport guides — https://www.dubizzle.com/blog/cars/taxi-services-abu-dhabi/ and https://www.dubizzle.com/blog/cars/abu-dhabi-public-transport/ — retrieved 3 November 2026
- GulfCommute and Edarabia — Sayer card and Sharjah bus fares (Mowasalat list; updated Oct 2026) — https://gulfcommute.com/sharjah/guides/sayer-card-guide and https://www.edarabia.com/sharjah-bus-routes-map-timing-guide/ — retrieved 3 November 2026
- Property Finder — booking a taxi in Sharjah (SRTA tariff) — https://www.propertyfinder.ae/blog/how-to-book-taxi-in-sharjah/ — retrieved 3 November 2026
- dubizzle — Sharjah taxi booking (tariff table) — https://www.dubizzle.com/blog/cars/sharjah-taxi-booking/ — retrieved 3 November 2026