Dubai Metro Fare and Bus Fare Guide: Zones, Ticket Prices & Day Passes

A Dubai Metro fare on a Silver nol card is AED 3 within 1 zone, AED 5 across 2 zones and AED 7.50 for more than 2 zones. Gold Class costs double, and a Red Ticket adds AED 1 a trip. Buses and the tram charge the same, students and seniors pay half, and People of Determination ride free.

We found no fare change by RTA in 2025 or 2026. Here are the metro fares for each card, how zones work, and when a pass is cheaper.

Dubai Metro ticket price by card

This fare table follows RTA’s figures. The first four rows come straight from RTA’s nol fares page. The student and senior row applies RTA’s 50% concession to the Silver fare. Some websites show these half fares for every Blue card, which is wrong: a regular adult on a Blue card pays the full Silver fare.

How the 7 nol fare zones work

Dubai is divided into 7 nol fare zones. Your fare depends on how many zones you pass through, not on how many stations you ride. The fare is taken when you tap out.

Three rules matter more than most people realise:

• Transfers count as one journey. Switch between the Metro, bus or tram within 30 minutes and RTA charges a single fare for the whole trip.
• A journey can last up to 180 minutes, with a maximum of 3 transfers.
• Gold Class only costs extra on the Metro and tram. A tram-to-Metro transfer in the same zone is not charged twice.

The transfer rule has a catch. If you stop for a long coffee between the Metro and a feeder bus and miss the 30-minute window, you pay two fares instead of one.

Dubai bus fare: same zones, different habits

The Dubai bus fare follows the same zone table as the Metro. A Silver card pays AED 3, 5 or 7.50, and a Gold card pays the normal fare on a bus, because buses have no Gold Class.

On a bus, tap your card on the reader at the front when you board and again when you get off. Forgetting to tap out is an easy way to be overcharged.

Two exceptions:

1. Route 110 (Al Safa Bus Terminus to Al Quoz Creative Zone) counts as intercity and costs a flat AED 2. Monthly passes are not valid on it.
2. Intercity buses to other emirates have their own fares. Travel passes and student or senior discounts don’t apply, although People of Determination with a Blue card travel free.

Dubai Tram fares

The tram uses the same nol fare zones and has its own Gold Class section. There are no gates, so tap your card on the platform reader before boarding and again after you get off. RTA warns that skipping this can lead to a fine.

Is there a 1-day pass?

Yes, but not on a Silver card. RTA sells day passes in two forms:

Both cover all zones for one day. The Red Ticket pass gives unlimited trips, and the QR pass can be used multiple times until 23:59 on the day you first use it. A Red Ticket can hold up to 5 daily passes. Details are on RTA’s QR ticket page.

If you arrive by train, an Etihad Rail ticket can include the same nol 1-day pass for AED 22. Our Etihad Rail booking guide shows where to add it.

Weekly, monthly and yearly travel passes

Passes give unlimited rides within the zones you choose. Anonymous Silver and Gold cards can only load the 7-day pass. The 30, 90 and 365-day passes need a personal or registered card.

Gold passes cost double the Silver price, and student and senior passes cost half. The full list is on RTA’s travel pass page. Passes cover the Metro, tram and bus inside Dubai only.

When does a pass pay off?

We worked this out from RTA’s prices, and the answer is neat. A 30-day pass pays off at about 47 trips in every zone band: AED 350 divided by AED 7.50, AED 230 by AED 5 and AED 140 by AED 3 all land between 46 and 47.

A five-day-a-week commuter making two trips a day takes about 44 trips a month. That is just short, so a monthly pass only saves money if you also use the Metro at weekends or in the evenings. If you ride every day, buy it.

The 7-day pass breaks even sooner, at 15 trips for all zones and 17 for one zone. A visitor riding twice a day for a week is close to that line.

For a single busy day, the maths is simpler: three trips of more than 2 zones cost AED 22.50 on Silver, so the AED 22 day pass wins from the third long trip.

What typical trip costs look like

On the Metro-plus-bus trip, RTA does not publish exactly how the Gold surcharge is split, so the total depends on the route. Gold Class is a real cost for daily commuters: AED 10 extra a day adds up to more than AED 200 a month.

Fines and overcharges

RTA’s fine for travelling without a valid fare is AED 200, and using a fake card is AED 500. RTA adds a AED 20 fee to each fine. You need at least AED 7.50 on your card to use the Metro, so check your balance before a long trip. Our nol balance guide shows the fastest way.

If you forget to tap out or are charged twice, claim an overcharge refund within 5 days. RTA refunds up to AED 4.50 on Silver, AED 9 on Gold and AED 2.25 on concession cards.

Will fares change soon?

We found no change to zone fares or pass prices in 2025 or 2026, so the Dubai Metro ticket price you see above is current. What is changing is how you pay. The Dubai Media Office says RTA’s new nol payment system is 72% complete and scheduled to be finished by the end of the first quarter of 2027, adding bank cards and phone wallets at the gates. RTA’s 2025 update also said it will “implement the flexible fare concept” without giving details, so check this page or RTA before relying on old figures.

Frequently asked questions

Is the bus fare the same as the metro fare in Dubai?

Yes. Bus fares in Dubai use the same zones as the Metro: AED 3, 5 or 7.50 on a Silver card. The differences are that a Gold card pays the normal fare on buses, Route 110 has a flat AED 2 fare, and intercity buses to other emirates are priced separately.

Is there a daily fare cap on the nol card?

RTA does not publish a daily cap on its fares pages, although several websites claim one. Don’t plan around it. The official way to limit a day’s spending is the 1-day pass: AED 20 on a Red Ticket plus the AED 2 ticket, or AED 22 as a QR ticket.

Can I pay the fare in cash or with a bank card?

Not at the gates. You need a nol card, sold at every Metro ticket machine, or a QR ticket from nol Pay, S’hail or machines at selected stations. RTA plans to accept bank cards and phone wallets once its new payment system is complete, due by the end of March 2027.

Which card gives the cheapest fare?

For most adults, Silver. At AED 3, 5 or 7.50 a trip, AED 1 less than a Red Ticket, it has the lowest fares in Dubai for regular riders. Students and seniors pay half on a Blue card, and People of Determination ride free. Compare all four in our guide to nol card types.

Paying the right Dubai Metro fare every time

Carry a Silver card, keep AED 15 on it by topping up your nol card before it runs low, tap in and out every time, and use the 30-minute transfer window. If you ride daily, count your trips: at 47 a month, a pass is cheaper. Students should read our student nol card guide to halve every Dubai Metro fare. For more, browse our travel section or visit the Live In Gulf homepage.