The on-demand ride for Dubai
Your daily Dubai commute, sorted. Book a seat in the app and a shared, air-conditioned van comes directly to the pickup location you select. No timetable, no fixed line, no walking to a stop.
- Air-conditioned vans
- Door-to-door pickup
- Pay cash, card or wallet
A shared van that routes itself around the people riding it
Citylink Shuttle is an on-demand ride service (Demand Responsive Transport, or DRT): shared vans you book from the app. There are no fixed timetables and no fixed lines. Each time you book, the routing engine recalculates the journey in real time from the bookings it currently holds, and the van comes directly to the pickup location you select.
That is why a Citylink ride costs less than a taxi and takes a more direct path than a scheduled bus: you are sharing a vehicle with people going the same way, on a route drawn for exactly that group.
The platform behind it is a German-built routing system, operated in Dubai by Citylink and also running in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Four steps from your phone to your seat
Booking takes seconds. The one thing worth remembering is step four.
Set your trip
Open the app and enter where you want to be picked up and where you are going.
Book & pay
The app shows the fare for those zones and the seats still free. Reserve one seat or several, and pay cash, card or wallet.
Your van comes to you
No need to walk to a pickup point. The Citylink van comes directly to your selected location. Track its arrival in the app.
Board within 2 minutes
Track the van live and be ready at your pickup location when it arrives. The driver waits 2 minutes, then cancels and continues. Leave in good time.
One app, the trips you make most
The daily commute is what Citylink is built for. A ride to the airport works too, one way.
Built for the central Dubai commute
Deira, Bur Dubai, the business districts and the Al Quoz industrial belt: the journeys people make every working day.
On-demand rides
Request a ride in the app when you are ready to go. A shared van comes directly to your selected pickup location.
A route built around demand
There is no timetable to miss. The routing engine recalculates the journey in real time from live bookings, and the van comes to your selected pickup location.
Live tracking to your door
Watch the van approach in the app so you know when it arrives, instead of waiting at the roadside in the heat.
Air-conditioned and shared
Modern vans with proper seats, shared with people going the same way. That is what keeps the fare below a taxi.
Cash, card or wallet
Pay the driver in cash on board, or by card or wallet credit in the app. Adding a card triggers a validation charge that is refunded instantly.
Book seats for the group
Reserve more than one seat in a single booking. The app shows how many seats are still free before you confirm.
Priced by zone, discounted by subscription
What you pay depends on the zones your journey crosses, so the app shows the exact fare for your trip before you confirm the booking. Pay cash on board, or by card or wallet credit in the app. Adding a card triggers a small validation charge that is refunded immediately.
If you ride regularly and pay by card, Dubai Savers is the way the price comes down.
Questions before you ride?
Need help or want to submit a complaint? Contact our support team on WhatsApp, by phone or by email. Our customer support team replies during working hours.
Frequently asked questions
What is Citylink Shuttle?
Citylink Shuttle is an on-demand ride service built on the concept of Demand Responsive Transport (DRT), and the first service of its kind in Dubai. Instead of a fixed timetable, the routing engine plans journeys in real time from the bookings riders make in the app, and the van comes directly to your selected pickup location. Our commitment to future generations and to reducing our carbon footprint is what led us to predict demand this way, in line with global best practice in environmental sustainability.
Does the van run on a fixed timetable?
No. Citylink is on-demand, not scheduled. Trips are planned in real time from the requests riders make in the app, and the route can change along the way. You request a ride, accept the proposal and the van comes directly to your selected pickup location.
How much does a ride cost?
Every area has its own pricing, so the app shows the up-to-date price for your journey when you book, before you confirm. The minimum fare is AED 7.5. If you ride regularly, the Dubai Savers subscription is AED 60 a month and takes a flat 25% off eligible rides paid by card for 30 consecutive days.
Which areas of Dubai do you cover?
Citylink Shuttle covers 25 areas of Dubai, with routes across all of them: Deira, Karama, Al Nahda, Al Rigga, Al Qusais, Zaabeel, Al Garhoud, Al Twar, Abu Hail, Al Jaffaliya, DIFC, Dubai Downtown, World Trade Centre, Business Bay, Al Satwa, Al Safa, Al Quoz, Dubai Frame, Jaddaf, Al Wasl, Al Raffa, Al Souq Alkabeer, Al Ghurair, Al Rashidiya and Al Muteena. Citylink also operates in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
How does Citylink pickup work?
Book through the Citylink app. The van comes directly to your selected pickup location. You do not need to walk to a bus stop or flag it down.
How long will the driver wait for me?
Two minutes. The app shows when the van will arrive at your pickup location, so be ready before it does. If you are not there after two minutes, the driver leaves and you will need to book another ride.
How do I pay, and can I pay in cash?
You can pay by cash, card or wallet: cash when you board the van, or by card or wallet credit in the app. If you have a Dubai Savers subscription, pay by card in the app: rides paid in cash or with wallet credit do not get the discount.
Where do I get on the van?
Right where you are. Citylink is door-to-door: the van comes directly to the exact pickup location you select in the app. There are no stops to walk to.
Your next ride starts in the app
Booking, your pickup location, live tracking and payment all happen in the Citylink app. Download it, set your destination and book your first ride.