How’s the Dubai Metro? Is it modern, well-kept, and beneficial?

When I lived in Chennai, I traveled from Meenambakkam to Chennai Central Metro only when I needed to go to Mangalore for vacation. (Which is just a quick way to board my train.)

Since moving to Dubai, I’ve relied on the metro for work and personal transportation.

We have superfast metros from the northern end of Sharjah’s border to the south end of Dubai’s Expo City. Metros are very important for everyone here, as thousands of people travel for various reasons unless they have a vehicle.

The Gold Card provides access to the Metro and Tram Gold Class cabins for twice the standard fare.

The Silver Card is a regular card that can be used for all the transportation and non-transportation services mentioned.

The most advantageous cards are personal ones, which allow you to top up the card online and retrieve your balance if it is lost or stolen. 

Concession fares are applied to students, residents, senior citizens, nationalities, and ex-pats, with various fair costs.

There is also something called a red ticket, which is a disposable paper ticket. This allows you to make single trips and pay only for the distance traveled. The price depends on the number of zones you pass through.

 

I’ve written a lot about these metro cards. If you’re planning a trip to Dubai or are already here, please click here to learn more about the Dubai RTA Nol cards. 

https://www.rta.ae/wps/portal/rta/ae/public-transport/About-Nol-Card/

So I was using the personal Nol card, which is used by the bulk of workers, professionals, and students who use metros to commute to work and school because the passenger can top up monthly and travel up to their destination at any number of times.

As I was using my metro card, I recharged it for 150 dirhams and used it for half a month. I once misplaced my bus pass and was unable to board the bus. The Nol card is required for any public transit. I took a taxi from my house to the metro station, where I notified the attendees who assist us at the metro stations. The man helping me was Arab, and I had no idea what he was telling me. After repeated attempts, I discovered that I needed to contact the Dubai RTA helpdesk to report and block my card.

When I called the hotline to report that my card had been lost, the lady on the other end informed me that the card had been used by someone and that the available amount was 92 dirhams. If you agree to block this, we will guarantee that the available balance on the card is reimbursed to you. 

I asked, “How so?”

She said to ask the ticket/assistance desk attendant for a new card, which will cost you 25 AED, and further, follow the next steps on the website URL that I shared with your mobile number to sync your new card. 

She hung up once the conversation ended. 

I filled out the loss and reimbursement form on the Dubai RTA’s website, and a ticket was raised. They told me to expect a call from customer support, and they asked if I wanted the refund in cash or via card transfer. 

They also stated that I can obtain cash from the mentioned metro stations that have kiosk machines outside and that in-hand cash refunds are done at selected interchanging metro stations. 

Finally, I received a full refund for my metro top-up amount as a cash-in (Burjuman Metro Station). 

I liked the cash reimbursement method; I’m not sure if we have something similar in our Indian metros, UTC trains, or buses. This system is extremely beneficial to college students, as their bus or train passes are frequently lost or stolen by others, as well as other passengers. Sometimes we top-up for three or six months at a time, and if we lose the card, we’ll probably hold it as the worst memory and think about how much money we just trashed. Do you have any experience with losing a pass or money when traveling? Please let me know in the comments. 

Thank you so much for reading to the end.