Are you a first-time tourist or visitor in Dubai? If so, then you are probably thinking about how to get around the city using public transportation. You should also consider getting a Nol card, which you can use to pay for transport fare.
Basically, the Nol card is a smart card used by commuters on the Dubai Metro, public buses, Dubai Tram, water buses, and taxis. With just a single tap of your Nol card, you can travel across the city’s “zones,” and even across different transport modes! Keep on reading to learn more about the features and costs of Nol cards in Dubai.
Contents
- What is a Nol Card?
- Who Can Use a Nol Card?
- Where to Buy a Nol Card?
- How Much is a Nol Card?
- Travel Within and Across Dubai Zones
- What are the Different Types of Nol Cards?
- How to Top Up Nol Cards?
- Nol Card Multiple-Day Passes
- How to Use a Nol Card?
- Video: How to Personalise Your Nol Card
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Contact Information: RTA Dubai Head Office
- Summary
What is a Nol Card?
In Arabic, the term “nol” means fare. As mentioned earlier, the Nol card is a smart card that can be used when using public transportation in Dubai. Specifically, you can use it on the Dubai Metro, Dubai Tram, buses, and water buses — all of which are managed by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
Aside from public transportation, the Nol card can also be used to pay for RTA’s paid parking, entry to public parks, museums, and even as payment for food and groceries! In this article, though, we will focus on how to use this card on the Dubai Metro.
Who Can Use a Nol Card?
All passengers who are 5 years old and above need a Nol card to use public transportation in Dubai. Notably, children below 5 years old, as well as “people of determination” can use public transportation, free of charge.
Where to Buy a Nol Card?
You can purchase a Nol card from any of these locations:
- Ticket offices in Dubai Metro stations and select bus stations;
- Ticket Vending Machines (for Nol red cards and silver cards); and
- RTA Customer Service Centres and RTA-authorised sales agents (silver cards).
How Much is a Nol Card?
The Nol card comes in different colours, each with different features and of course, prices. For instance, the red card costs 2 AED, but you need to “load” it with credit before you can use it. Meanwhile, the silver card costs 25 AED, inclusive of 19 AED as credit, which you can use as transport fare. Keep on reading to know more!
Travel Within and Across Dubai Zones
Before discussing the different types of Nol cards further, we need to talk about Dubai’s transportation network first. Dubai has 7 zones, each of which contains Metro stations, tram stations, bus stations, and water bus stations.
The transportation cost will depend on the zone(s) you plan to travel on, as well as the type of Nol card that you have. Depending on your destination, you may be planning to travel within just one zone, two zones, and three (or more) zones. You may also need to use just one transport mode (e.g. Metro), or two (e.g. Metro and water bus) modes of transportation in a single journey. All of these would be factored in the computation of your transport fare.
To make it simpler, please take note of these different “tiers:”
- Tier 1 (one zone) – travel within one zone, or less than 3 km when crossing two zones;
- Tier 2 (two zones) – departs from one zone and arrives in a neighboring zone; and
- Tier 3 (three or more zones) – departs from one zone and crosses three (or more) zones.
As you may have guessed, the cost of your fare will be charged based on the tiers or total number of zones that you have crossed. Moreover, when you change transport modes (e.g. transfer from Dubai Metro to public bus) within 30 minutes, your train and bus trips will be considered as a “single journey,” to be paid for using your Nol card.
What are the Different Types of Nol Cards?
And now, let’s proceed to talk about the different types of Nol cards, which come in four colours:
1. Red Nol Card
This is a paper-based card that you can buy from any Ticket Vending Machine. Before using it, you need to load credit first. The red card may be loaded with up to 10 single trips or five day passes.
The red card costs only 2 AED each, although you need to load at least 7.50 AED before using it. If you are a tourist, visitor, or someone who uses Dubai’s public transport occasionally only, this type of card definitely comes in handy!
Using a red card, your transport fare would cost 4 AED (one zone), 6 AED (two zones), or 8.50 AED (three or more zones). You can also opt to buy a one-day pass, which costs 20 AED (regular pass) or 40 AED (gold pass).
2. Silver Nol Card
If you plan to use public transportation regularly, then the silver card could be just what you need! It costs 25 AED, including 19 AED as credit, which you can use when paying for public transport. This type of card has a validity of five years.
With a silver card, your transport fare would cost 3 AED (one zone), 5 AED (two zones), or 7.50 AED (three or more zones). Notice that this card may cost more than the red card, but the transport fares are slightly cheaper, which is good especially if you are going to travel regularly. Please note that the silver Nol card can be used for regular class seats only.
3. Gold Nol Card
Basically, this card has the same features as the silver card. It costs 25 AED, with 19 AED credit, and has a validity of five years. However, the main difference is that unlike the silver card, which can only be used for regular class seats… you can use the gold card for Gold Class seats on the Dubai Metro… for a premium fare, of course!
Using a gold card, your transport fare would cost 6 AED (one zone), 10 AED (two zones), or 15 AED (three or more zones).
4. Blue Nol Card
If you’re a daily commuter on the Dubai Metro (and other public transport modes), then consider getting a blue card, which can be personalised! Another great feature is that if your blue card gets lost or stolen, your credit balance would be secure.
The blue card costs 70 AED, including 20 AED credit. It can be personalised with your photo, and comes with services such as text and email notifications, so you can easily update your balance. This card has a validity of five years. What’s more, if you are a student or senior citizen, you need to pay only 50 percent of the fare.
With a blue card, your transport fare would cost 3 AED (one zone), 5 AED (two zones), or 7.50 AED (three or more zones).
How to Top Up Nol Cards?
Now that you have a better idea about Nol cards, their features, and how much they cost, you’re probably thinking about how to “top up” or load your cards. Here is a list of options:
1. Vending Machines
- Ticket Vending Machines at all Metro stations
- Ticket Office Machines at all Metro stations
- Bus Solar-powered Machines in select bus tops
2. RTA Website
3. Nol Pay Mobile App
4. RTA Dubai Mobile App
5. S’hail Mobile App
Nol Card Multiple-Day Passes
Aside from the single-use fares stated above, multiple-day passes can be paid by regular commuters of the Dubai Metro. These include weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly passes (both regular and gold passes).
1. Weekly Passes
7-day Regular Pass
One Zone — 50 AED
Two Zone — 80 AED
Three or More Zones — 110 AED
7-day Gold Pass
One Zone — 100 AED
Two Zone — 160 AED
Three or More Zones — 220 AED
2. Monthly Passes
30-day Regular Pass
One Zone — 140 AED
Two Zone — 230 AED
Three or More Zones — 350 AED
30-day Gold Pass
One Zone — 280 AED
Two Zone — 460 AED
Three or More Zones — 700 AED
3. Quarterly Passes
90-day Regular Pass
One Zone — 330 AED
Two Zone — 550 AED
Three or More Zones — 830 AED
90-day Gold Pass
One Zone — 660 AED
Two Zone — 1100 AED
Three or More Zones — 1660 AED
4. Yearly Passes
365-day Regular Pass
One Zone — 1060 AED
Two Zone — 1770 AED
Three or More Zones — 2670 AED
365-day Gold Pass
One Zone — 2120 AED
Two Zone — 3540 AED
Three or More Zones — 5340 AED
How to Use a Nol Card?
With regard to using a Nol card, here’s a quick guide on how to use it for checking in and checking out of public transport:
1. Checking In
- Make sure that you have at least 7.50 AED credit on your card.
- Go to the Dubai Metro gate or the entrance to the bus / water bus.
- Place your Nol card on the card reader.
- Wait for a beep or “green light,” which means check in is successful.
- Pass through the gate or entrance.
2. Checking Out
- Go to the Dubai Metro gate or the entrance to the bus / water bus.
- Place your Nol card on the card reader.
- Wait for a beep or “green light,” which means check out is successful.
- Pass through the gate or entrance.
- The gate will automatically compute the amount of your fare based on the number of zones that you have passed.
Video: How to Personalise Your Nol Card
In the above discussion, we mentioned about the blue Nol card, which can be personalised, especially if you’re a regular commuter. Here is a video shared by the RTA Dubai Facebook page, discussing how you can personalise your Nol card:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Meanwhile, here are some commonly asked questions and answers about Nol cards:
1. What is a Nol card?
The Nol card is a smart card that can be used to pay for public transport fare in Dubai. It can also be used to pay for parking and groceries, among other uses.
2. Who can use Nol cards?
All passengers who are 5 years old and above need to use a Nol card when taking public transportation in Dubai.
3. Where can I buy Nol cards?
You can buy Nol cards in ticket offices and ticket vending machines in Dubai Metro stations and select bus stations. You can also purchase it from RTA Customer Service Centres and RTA-authorised sales agents.
4. Are there different types of Nol cards?
Yes, there are four types of Nol cards: red card, silver card, gold card, and blue card. Each type has different sets of features, designed for different kinds of commuters.
5. How much does a Nol card cost?
The red card costs 2 AED, although you need to load at least 7.50 AED before using it. The silver and gold cards cost 25 AED, including 19 AED credit. Meanwhile, the blue card costs 70 AED, including 20 AED credit. This card can be personalised.
6. How to top up my Nol card?
You can top up your Nol card through ticket office machines, ticket vending machines, and solar powered machines in Metro stations and select bus stops. In addition, you can buy load through the RTA website, as well as through the mobile apps Nol Pay, RTA Dubai, and S’hail.
7. Can I use a Nol card to pay for taxi fare?
Yes, you can use a Nol card to pay for taxi fare. Nonetheless, even if you don’t have a Nol card, you can still pay for your taxi fare through cash and card payments. So if you are planning to travel around Dubai using taxis only, then you don’t really need to buy a Nol card.
8. Where else can I use my Nol card?
Aside from public transportation and RTA paid parking, you can use your Nol card to pay for products and services in select restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, clinics, gas stations, automative services, and government services. Check out the full list of merchants that accept Nol card payments on the RTA website.
Contact Information: RTA Dubai Head Office
If you have any questions about Nol cards and other transportation-related topics, you can get in touch with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) head office through the following contact details. The office’s location on Google Maps is also presented below:
Address: Al Garhoud, 5 Marrakech St. (next to Emirates Metro Station), Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Telephone: +971 800 9090
Email: ask@rta.ae
Website: https://www.rta.ae/wps/portal/rta/ae/home?lang=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rtadubai
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rta_dubai/
Google Map:
Summary
If you’re a first-time visitor or tourist in Dubai, learning how to use the city’s public transportation system can be quite daunting. With a Nol card, however, you can easily learn how to get around and explore this beautiful city! We certainly hope that this article has provided you with enough information about Nol cards, and how to use them on Dubai’s public transport.
DISCLAIMER: The above guide is presented for general, information-sharing purposes only. To know more about Nol cards — their features, costs, and the latest updates about public transportation in Dubai, please visit the official website of RTA Dubai.
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