Charging Infrastructure Already in Place
To support the rollout, RTA has completed charging infrastructure across five major operational depots, equipped with 32 high-capacity chargers rated at 360 kilowatts. The depots are located in Al Quoz, Al Ruwayyah, Lehbab, Business Bay and Jebel Ali, supporting fleet readiness and operational continuity as electric bus deployment scales up.
One of the new electric buses has already entered service on Route F13. The Zhongtong-built vehicle offers a range of up to 370 kilometres on a single charge, powered by a 470 kilowatt-hour battery, and is the first of its kind to run on Dubai's city routes. A separate 250-bus batch delivered earlier in the contract, which includes 40 electric buses alongside 549 city-service buses (400 MAN and 149 Zhongtong models), has already undergone trials confirming performance across energy efficiency, brake responsiveness, air-conditioning and vehicle stability during frequent stops.
Part of RTA's Zero-Emission Public Transport Strategy 2050
Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the RTA, said the electric bus rollout supports RTA's Zero-Emission Public Transport Strategy 2050, under which the authority aims to convert all buses, taxis and limousine vehicles to zero-emission operation, transitioning 100 percent of public transport buses to electric and hydrogen power by 2050.
RTA currently operates 40 electric buses within its wider network, alongside a strategy that also includes hydrogen-powered vehicles, aligning with the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and the UAE's national target of achieving climate neutrality.
Measurable Emissions Progress
RTA recorded a 12 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in 2025 compared with the previous year, and a 44 percent drop relative to 2022, its baseline year. The authority says its use of electric buses helped avoid more than 59,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 2025, supporting a broader target to cut emissions by 30 percent by 2030.
What This Means for UAE Commuters and Businesses
For daily bus commuters in Dubai, the expanded electric fleet means quieter, lower-emission vehicles on more routes, with air-conditioning and passenger comfort specifically factored into the new bus design. For fleet operators and logistics businesses in Dubai, RTA's large-scale, phased approach to electrifying a public vehicle fleet, backed by dedicated high-capacity charging depots, offers a useful reference point for how commercial fleet electrification can be planned and sequenced at scale in the UAE's climate and operating conditions.
Key Facts
● RTA is deploying 735 new Euro 6-compliant buses, including 40 fully electric buses.
● Charging infrastructure includes 32 chargers rated at 360 kilowatts across five depots: Al Quoz, Al Ruwayyah, Lehbab, Business Bay and Jebel Ali.
● The first electric bus on Route F13 offers up to 370km range from a 470 kWh battery.
● RTA aims to convert 100 percent of public transport buses to electric and hydrogen power by 2050 under its Zero-Emission Public Transport Strategy 2050.
● RTA recorded a 12 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions in 2025 versus 2024, and avoided more than 59,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions through electric bus use.
Sources
Gulf News — Dubai to roll out 735 electric buses in 2026 in UAE's largest zero-emission fleet expansion (May 3, 2026)
https://gulfnews.com/uae/transport/dubai-set-to-roll-out-735-electric-buses-this-year-1.500527344
Khaleej Times — Dubai unveils electric buses with driver monitoring, Wi-Fi, 360° cameras (January 18, 2026)
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/transport/rta-smart-low-emission-electric-buses
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