This article covers the various forms of transport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), by road, rail, air, water, etc.
In the UAE, they drive on the right. In the old days, it was a British protectorate and they used to drive on the left, but later they swapped to the right.[1] The United Arab Emirates have an extensive and well-developed road network, principally in the northern coastal area where the main population centres are located. Many of these roads have been improved to become multi-lane dual-carriageway motorways, coping with the high demand for road transportation.
Speed limits are 160km/h on freeways (some freeway network's like E22 were imposed with a lower speed limit by the Abu Dhabi Government [2]), 100km/h on rural roads, and 60or on urban dual-carriageways. Heavy trucks and buses are installed with speed limiters to prevent overspeeding.
In 2006 UAE have a score of 190 killed per million population in traffic collisions linked to high speeds and poor safety culture.[3]
In 2010, UAE have a score near of 100 killed per million population in traffic collisions.[4]
In 2013, UAE have a score near of 109 killed per million population in traffic collisions, as estimated by the WHO[5]
Between 2014 and 2018 peopled killed by traffic has drop by 34%.[6]
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is an exponentially developing country that is considered a small nation in land area. Still, due to its diplomatic and economic relationships with 191 countries around the world, its legacy, reputation, and status among the leading countries is well-acknowledged. Although the UAE is considered a new country, its growth and development in the past few years made it a destination hub for people who seek opportunities, therefore increasing the population from 344,513 in the year of its establishment in 1971 to 9,591,853 in 2024.[7] Therefore, the increase in population causes an increase in traffic congestion in the country. However, Hamad Al Shehhi, director of the Roads and Transportation Authority (RTA), stated that “Congestion at intersections is expected to drop significantly by nearly 95%”.[8] One solution being studied in the UAE is to encourage public and shared modes of commuting to achieve the goal of becoming the best country to live in. Additionally, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure is performing studies and monitoring traffic movement 24/7, while also using Artificial Intelligence to understand the causes of traffic congestion and find solutions to solve it.[9] Therefore, traffic management plays an important role in seamlessly improving traffic and mobility for residents and tourists commuting within the country.
People spend 20 hours per week stuck in traffic (around 8.4% of their weekly time).[10] Dubai emirate comes in first place with 1.44 million vehicles per emirate, followed by Abu Dhabi with 0.98 million vehicles, then Sharjah with 0.46 million vehicles. In contrast, the other emirates combined (Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah, and Ras Al Khaimah) have around 0.63 million vehicles.[11]
Dubai, being a globally recognized and go-to destination city with nearly 66.6 million visitors annually, has some challenges when it comes to traffic congestion between the two main roads that connect the other Emirates and the Dubai Emirate called: “UAE road” and “Mohammed Bin Zayed road”.[12] These roads play an important role in daily commuting because they act as a vital artery, linking the emirates of the country to each other.[13] Furthermore, these roads act as a traffic hub, contributing to facilitating traffic flow and the movement of transport between the Emirates.
Several factors contributed to the increased traffic congestion experienced by many drivers in the UAE over the past years, as follows:
Time spent in traffic causes an increase in stress levels between drivers and impacts their mood, making the drivers unstable and causing them to get frustrated.
Each minute a car's engine is turned on while being stuck in traffic causes significant fuel consumption, with approximately 1.6 million liters of fuel being consumed annually, which results in an increased amount of money spent on fuel refills. [17]
Yearly CO2 emissions due to traffic congestion reach 105 Kilograms of Carbon Dioxide released into the atmosphere, which leads to global warming. [18]
Six people were killed, at least 40 were injured and dozens of vehicles burned March 11, 2008 when hundreds of cars collided on a fog-shrouded Abu Dhabi–Dubai highway.[19]
Bus services were introduced in Abu Dhabi by the Emirate in 2008 with four routes which were zero fare in their pilot year.[20] At the end of 2011, bus services in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi provided more than 95 service routes with 650 buses to transport 50 million passengers in the region. In the Bus Network Plan in 2013, 14 bus routes were operated in Abu Dhabi City.[21]
In Dubai, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) operates bus services under the name DubaiBus. Buses in Sharjah are operated by Mowasalat, and in Ajman by the Ajman Transport Authority. There are also buses operating between the different Emirates due to the lack of rail connectivity, although this is planned to be rectified in the near future.[22] [23]
Fares on Abu Dhabi buses are paid by the Hafilat Card since 2015, which is a contactless smart card to be flashed when entering and exiting the bus at mini-terminals inside of the bus.[24] It is currently only available for bus travelers but will gradually be expanded into the water transport systems and the planned Abu Dhabi Metro, Etihad Rail and the Abu Dhabi Tram System. The Ojra card is used by frequent travellers.The Nol card is a contactless smart card used for Public Transport around Dubai and purchasing goods on ZOOM.[25] It is also used for payment on buses between Dubai and other cities.
Taxis in the UAE accept card payments.[25]
See main article: article and Rail transport in the United Arab Emirates. Etihad Rail is a state-owned company, and is the national railway company. It was set up in 2009 to manage a national-level freight and passenger rail network within the country, and later to other nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council as part of Gulf Railway. The first phase of the system is complete and freight service has begun. The second phase will connect the railway to Mussafah, Khalifa and Jebel Ali ports in Dubai, and is planned to connect to the Saudi and Omani borders. In January 2016, construction of phase two was suspended for re-evaluation, while service on phase one continued. Costing approximately US$10 billion, the three-stage rail system is planned to have 1200km (700miles) of railway connecting cities in UAE and linking to other Gulf countries. Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai, Sharjah, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Khor Fakkan will be linked by Etihad Rail when construction is completed.[26] [27]
The Dubai Metro has operated since 2009, and the Abu Dhabi Metro is currently under construction.
The Dubai Tram was launched in November 2014, and operates mainly in the Dubai Marina with new stations being constructed.[28] Another tram system is being planned for Sharjah and Ajman.[29]
The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) started applying an advanced program in 2010 that allows the assessment of aircraft registered in foreign countries in order to ensure their safety and airworthiness.[30] In 2011, it banned all aircraft registered in Congo DR, Eswatini, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone and São Tomé and Príncipe due to their poor safety standards.[31]
See main article: article and List of airports in the United Arab Emirates. Dubai International Airport was the busiest airport in the world by international passenger traffic in 2014.[32] Abu Dhabi International Airport is the second-largest airport in the UAE.
There are 42 airports in the UAE
| Runways | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | Number of | ||
| paved | unpaved | ||
| over 10000feet | 12 | 1 | |
| 8000– | 3 | 1 | |
| 5000– | 4 | 4 | |
| 3000– | 4 | 6 | |
| under 3000feet | 2 | 5 | |
| Total: | 25 | 17 | |
Heliports: Five are known [33]
See main article: article and List of airlines of the United Arab Emirates. Emirates is the biggest national airline of the UAE and is owned by Dubai.[34] Etihad Airways is the second-largest national airline and is owned by Abu Dhabi.[35] Other airlines are flyDubai, Air Arabia and Royal Jet.
The major ports are Khalifa Port, Zayed Port, Port of Jebel Ali, Port Rashid, Port Khalid, Port Saeed, and Container Port Khor Fakkan. Other ports include Fujairah Port (a bunkering port), Das Island (tanker port).[36] [37]
The merchant marine consisted of 68 ships of 1,000 gross tonnage (GT) or over, totaling 1,107,442 GT or in the following types (1999 est.):