Dubai: Metro fares will shoot up by up to 78 per cent on some routes and come down by up to 44 per cent in others, when the new re-zoning scheme kicks in with the Green Line's rollout later this month, a senior Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) official confirmed.
Mohammad Yousuf Al Mudharreb, Director of the Unified Automated Fare Collection Department at the RTA, said: "Re-zoning was part of an earlier plan set for the Green Line's launch. It's not something new," he said.
On Saturday, the RTA increased the number of zones from five to seven before the rollout of the 23-km Green Line, expected by the end of this month.
The new Zone 6 now covers Al Karama, parts of Bur Dubai, Satwa and the Business Bay area - most of which were part of Zone Five before. The new Zone 7, which now covers Lahbab, Dubailand and parts of Aweer, was not plotted in Dubai's old public transport network.
More ‘winners'
Al Mudharreb said there are more ‘winners' in the re-zoning plan. "For some people, there will be an increase," said Al Mudharreb. "But a lot of people - especially those who belong to the low-income group - will benefit with a reduced tariff. Many others will see no impact at all - as in the case of a person who commutes regularly between the Mall of the Emirates and Burj Khalifa [the same Dh4.10 will be charged post-rezoning]," he said.
"Our figures show that the majority will see no fare increase," he said.
Regular commuters from Khalid Bin Waleed (BurJuman) to Business Bay stations or Karama and Dubai International Airport, will, however, see a 78 per cent fare jump.
He clarified that while the zoning has changed, the fare structure has not. "We still charge Dh1.8 for short-term travel, Dh2.3 for travel within one zone and Dh5.8 for three zones or above and kept the Dh14 daily cap."
Al Mudharreb said that regular transport users could now opt for a Blue Nol card, a personalised monthly pass to be launched on August 12, that allows unlimited use of public transport. Users can enjoy unlimited travel across all zones and all modes of transport for Dh270, he said.
