Dubai metro zones are the defined boundaries on the Metro Lines that are used to calculate the fare of rides in the Metro. Calculating fares in by other means is a very complicated task, so the Road and Transportation Authority (RTA) has defined these zones. These make the fare calculation process very simple and easy even the passengers can calculate it.
Dubai city is split into seven different zones for public transportation. Red Line and green line combined pass through 4 of them, i.e., Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 5, and Zone 6. The rest of the zones are for other means of public transportation like buses and trams. The transportation fare is calculated on the bases of the number of zones that you traveled through. The difference in zone number does not have any effect on the fare of the journey. For example, if you take a Metro from Dubai metro zones 1 and you finish your ride at Dubai metro zones 6, then the fare for two zones will be charged as Dubai metro zones 1, and Dubai metro zones 6 are adjacent to each other. The other means of transportation are also charged the same way. For example, if you take the Metro from zone 1 and drop at zone 2, then you take a bus to zone 3; the total fare for 3 zones will be charged.
If you are using multiple means of transportation, then you need to check in and out of each vehicle properly. If you didn’t check out of any vehicle, then the maximum fare will be charged for that journey. You must have a total maximum fare on your NOL card to use any public transportation. The Maximum fare on a Silver NOL card is 7.5 dirhams, and it may vary on other NOL cards. The picture below shows all the zones and stations in Metro Dubai.
As shown in the figure, two Metro Lines run through Dubai, and both of them meet at the Burjuman Station. These Dubai metro station zones are the busiest among all of the others. In order to take a train, you must go to your nearest station and take the Metro from there. A train departs every 5 to 8 minutes, so you don’t need to worry about the timings. You can switch between two means of transportation in a single journey. To make the multi-medium journey counted as a single one, you must check in on the other bus within 30 minutes of checking out off the train. If done so, the whole trip will be counted as a single trip. For handicapped and children, there is no fare, and they travel without any charges using a blue card. On the other hand, senior citizens are given a discount of 50% on each journey.
The numbers and Dubai metro zone prices may vary with time, so for the latest figures and fares, you can visit the official website of the Road and Transportation Authority (RTA) Dubai. The Route 2020 line will also be added till the end of May 2020 which will also pass through other zones as well.
Dubai Metro Zones Map
