Dubai to Expand Bus Lanes & Study Trackless Tram Across Eight Sites

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority will expand dedicated lanes for buses and taxis over 2026 and is studying the introduction of a trackless tram across eight locations in the emirate as part of a broader strategy to improve public transport performance and reduce congestion.
Six new corridors totalling 13 kilometres will be implemented over the two-year period, increasing the total length of dedicated bus and taxi lanes to 20 kilometres.
The new lanes will be introduced along Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah Street, 2nd of December Street, Al Satwa, Al Nahda, Omar bin Al Khattab Street and Naif Street. The corridors will be clearly marked to prevent misuse, with motorists who drive in them subject to a AED 600 fine. The expansion is expected to increase ridership by 10%, improve bus on-time performance by 42%, and reduce journey times by 41%.
In parallel, the authority is examining the deployment of a trackless tram system powered by electricity and guided by a virtual track using camera-based detection of painted road markings. Unlike conventional trams, the system does not require rails and would operate on fixed routes with designated stations using smart navigation technologies.
Each unit would consist of three carriages with capacity for 300 passengers, more than three times that of a standard bus. The system would run at a top speed of 70 km/h, with operational speeds ranging between 25 and 60 km/h.
The measures come amid rising traffic volumes in Dubai, with vehicle numbers increasing by 10% over two years, compared with a global average of 2% to 4%.
The RTA has previously stated that flexible work initiatives could reduce traffic volumes by up to 30%, based on case studies. In 2025, public transport, shared mobility and taxi services recorded average daily ridership of 2.2 million, with a total of 802 million users across the year.