# Getting around Dubai without a car



## FOS (Aug 19, 2016)

Hi

I will be moving to Dubai end of August and do not have a drivers license. 

What is the most common way to get to and from work without a car? Do people hire drivers or get taxis daily?

My office is a 20 minute walk away from a metro station which is an option, but I have yet to find a permanent place to live and not sure if i'll be near the metro line.

Any advice on travelling around the city without a car will be a great help.

thanks


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## Mambo21 (Mar 19, 2016)

I used taxis, Uber and Careem for several months prior to buying a car. Definitely possible, and easy to catch/book. Not that costly as well, with a 20min ride typically costing about 45 AED.

Walking 20min to work in summer heat is not recommended.


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## omar92 (Oct 8, 2013)

Dubai has a 2-line metro network, plus a tram in Dubai Marina, and a bus network. Problem is, a lot of the stations (particularly on the Red Line) are in the middle of nowhere you wonder why they built them in the first place. Other high-density places don't have metro stations. At the same time, Dubai neighborhoods aren't very compact, i.e. things are more spread out. 
You obviously can't help that your office is 20 minutes away from a metro station (they might have a 'feeder' bus running from the station to near your office though), but you should definitely find somewhere to live near a metro station. You'll find it convenient going to certain places/malls that ARE located on the metro.


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## FOS (Aug 19, 2016)

Thanks both, i'll keep in mind the metro stations when flat hunting!


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## LesFroggitts (Dec 30, 2013)

Don't forget about the proximity to shopping/groceries. The last thing you'll want to do is trudge around loaded down with groceries - especially anything chilled/frozen.

Using taxis for shopping is OK - If you're getting it all in one go at one supermarket, you can't multi-location shop for groceries when taxiing it. This I learnt from SWMBO when her car was in the garage.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

There's a fairly efficient bus network that will likely be able to get you from the metro to your office or close enough.

Walking 20 minutes isn't bad either. Very feasible for at least 8 months out of the year and as for the summer months, many people still do it. You will acclimatise. Or take a taxi from the metro to your office and vice versa.

Not owning a car will restrict your options but many people happily live without a car. Find a flat near a metro station and you should be fine. If you are in the Marina there are supermarkets within walking distance from most towers. Or take a taxi to the big Carrefours at the malls.


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## Standanista (Sep 26, 2014)

I've lasted over 2 years here without a car. Work is a 15 minutes walk which is lucky, or a taxi (AED 12) if it's particularly hot. Taxis are cheap as chips and the Metro is good (and again, cheap) if it goes where you're going. If it fits your budget I would go Metro Gold Class: still cheap and usually a lot less crowded.


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

omar92 said:


> .........you wonder why they built them in the first place.


Because they think ahead and plan for future real estate developments. its far cheaper to do anything now than try and add things on in a decades time when there are all sorts of things around the route.

And if you build something in the middle of nowhere, it encourages people to build homes near the station, where its cheap, than at a later stage when its ridiculously expensive as there is already others around it.


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## Standanista (Sep 26, 2014)

twowheelsgood said:


> Because they think ahead and plan for future real estate developments. its far cheaper to do anything now than try and add things on in a decades time when there are all sorts of things around the route.
> 
> And if you build something in the middle of nowhere, it encourages people to build homes near the station, where its cheap, than at a later stage when its ridiculously expensive as there is already others around it.


Yep. The tunnel sections around Deira and BurDubai (where the area was already built up before the metro opened in 2009) cost a lot more to construct than down SZR for example, where the track is on a viaduct.

It's always a balance I guess, planning routes to both meet existing demand and encourage future growth.


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## mv5869 (Apr 12, 2016)

twowheelsgood said:


> Because they think ahead and plan for future real estate developments. its far cheaper to do anything now than try and add things on in a decades time when there are all sorts of things around the route.
> 
> And if you build something in the middle of nowhere, it encourages people to build homes near the station, where its cheap, than at a later stage when its ridiculously expensive as there is already others around it.


Exactly that. The railways and underground in London were exactly the same. They built stations in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by fields. Those places are now prime real estate and major towns in their own right.


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

It's worth noting that in various parts of the metro route, the track goes up in the air as if trying to jump an invisible building. That's where the next road interchange will be constructed in a decade or so time but without stopping the metro running. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## getupandgo (Sep 19, 2016)

Ive been looking into this also, are these prices still correct?

dubai-metro.me/dubai-metro-tickets/]Dubai Metro Tickets

1060aed seems excellent for a yearly zone 1 ticket


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## tamsyed (May 31, 2016)

yeap they are, travel is dirt cheap here all things considering, and its pretty damn reliable. it's only been delayed once in about 10 weeks i've been here! take that National Railway!



getupandgo said:


> Ive been looking into this also, are these prices still correct?
> 
> dubai-metro.me/dubai-metro-tickets/]Dubai Metro Tickets
> 
> 1060aed seems excellent for a yearly zone 1 ticket


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