A city of skyscrapers on a desert coast. The metro runs driverless; the boat across the creek costs one dirham.
Abra, Dubai Ferry and Dubai Water Taxi
RTA's boats sit outside the seven-zone nol fare system - each route has its own flat price. With a nol card you tap twice, before boarding and again after arrival, and the wooden abras across the Creek take cash only.
Updated 5 days ago
How to ride
1
Get to the marine station early
Be at the station 15 minutes before a ferry, or 5 minutes before an abra or water taxi. Many routes sail only a few times a day.
2
Buy a ticket at the station
Buy at the station office or online, or just use a nol card. The wooden abras across the Creek take cash only.
3
Tap before you board
Tap your nol card on the validator at the station, or show your ticket to the deckhand to have it validated.
4
Tap again after you get off
Tap once more after you arrive to close the trip; forgetting it means an overcharge or a fine.
Fares
Single fares8
Traditional wooden abra (CR1, CR2), one crossing
The wooden boats across the Creek; cash only, no nol card and no bank cards
1 AED≈ $0.3
Abra (CR3-CR6, CR9, CR11, BM2, DC2), per stop
The abras RTA classes as modern; nol cards and bank cards both work here
2 AED≈ $0.5
Water Taxi (BM1, BM3)
Dubai Marina only; one stop costs 7 and the price rises with the number of stops
7〜21 AED≈ $2–6
Ferry FR5 to Sharjah (silver class, one way)
A scheduled run across the emirate border; gold class is 25 and under-5s ride free
15 AED≈ $4
Ferry FR1 and FR2 (silver class, one way)
Gold class is 35; to connect between them you buy both the FR1 and FR2 ticket at the kiosk
25 AED≈ $7
Ferry FR4 Palm round trip (silver class)
A tourist round trip twice a day; gold class is 75, ages 2-10 pay half, and the family ticket is 140
50 AED≈ $14
Tourist abra round trip (TR6, TR8)
TR6 is a 45-minute cruise; both need six passengers to sail, and chartering the boat costs 300 an hour
25 AED≈ $7
Electric tourist abra (Dubai Mall and similar), 25 minutes
The rides at Dubai Mall, Burj Plaza and The Palace; nol cards are not accepted here
75 AED≈ $20
Passes & multi-ride1
Marina One Day Pass
Valid in the Dubai Marina area only; it comes with partner discount vouchers
25 AED≈ $7
Estimates use exchange rates as of September 5, 2026
Payment
Tap to ride
Dubai has no tap-to-ride with bank cards; you use a nol card
Card payment at machines
The CR1 and CR2 wooden abra routes are excluded
The operator does not name the brands it accepts
The station ticket offices take credit and debit cards
IC card
Not accepted on the wooden abras or at the electric tourist abra stations
At the gates: Tap on the validator before boarding and after you arrive
App ticketsSamsung and Huawei devices only
nol Pay
In the wallet: A digital nol card in nol Pay taps the same way
Paper tickets
At machines: Buy at the office or online, then show it to the deckhand
Cash
At machines: Cash works at every station, and the wooden abras take nothing else
Quick facts
Hours
06:00-24:00; CR2 runs 24 hours
Frequency
Abras every 10-50 min; ferries 2-5 sailings a day
Fares from
1 AED+
Heads-up
Under-12s cannot ride without an adult
Children under 12 are not allowed on RTA's marine transport unless an adult travels with them. The ticketing and information office at the station will ask to see the child's ID - a passport for visitors - and an accompanied child has to wear a life jacket on board.
Some routes are suspended
RTA suspends routes without announcing a restart date. In the July 2026 leaflet the FR3 creek round trip, abra route CR7 (Al Seef - Al Fahidi - Dubai Old Souq) and DC3 (Al Jaddaf - Dubai Design District) are all on hold. Map apps and travel write-ups still list them, so check the official timetable before you set out.
Timetable
Operating hours06:00-24:00; CR2 runs 24 hours
Check the official site for the latest times and service status
United Arab Emirates
Tap to ride 
Card payment at machines 
IC card 
App tickets Samsung and Huawei devices only 
Cash