How Dubai Taxi Fares Work
Dubai taxis run on a meter regulated by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). Your fare has four parts: a starting fare (flagfall), a per-kilometre charge, waiting time, and any Salik toll gates your route crosses. The per-kilometre rate is linked to fuel prices and revised by RTA each month, so it moves within a small band rather than staying fixed.
Current RTA Taxi Rates (July 2026)
- Street hail flagfall: AED 5.00 during the day (6 AM to 10 PM) and AED 5.50 at night (10 PM to 6 AM).
- App and phone bookings: AED 5.00 flagfall plus a booking surcharge of AED 7.50 in peak hours (Monday to Thursday, 8 to 10 AM and 4 to 8 PM) or AED 4.00 off-peak.
- Airport pickup at DXB terminals: AED 25.00 flagfall.
- Per kilometre: around AED 2.19, adjusted monthly with fuel prices (roughly AED 2.14 to 2.26).
- Waiting time: AED 0.50 per minute.
- Minimum fare: AED 12 for street hails, AED 13 for bookings.
- Salik gates on your route are added to the meter at the toll rate charged at crossing time.
Taxi or Metro? Compare Before You Ride
For trips along Sheikh Zayed Road, the metro is usually far cheaper. A Red Line journey from Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall to Dubai Marina costs a few dirhams on a Nol card, while the same taxi ride can cost AED 50 or more in traffic. Use our metro fare calculator and the metro vs taxi guide to compare your route before choosing.
Tips to Keep Your Taxi Fare Down
- Hail from the street outside peak hours to avoid the booking surcharge.
- Ask the driver to avoid Salik gates on shorter trips where a parallel road exists.
- For airport arrivals, the metro from Terminals 1 and 3 is a fraction of the AED 25 flagfall alone.
- Share longer rides. The per-kilometre rate is the same for up to four passengers.