The number of toll-free trips taken after 1am in Dubai rose 46.8 per cent year on year to 16.4 million in the second quarter of 2025, according to figures released by Salik, the city’s toll gate operator.
The quarter was the first full period following the rollout of variable toll pricing on January 31, 2025. Under the revised structure, vehicles crossing any of Dubai’s 10 Salik gates between 1am and 6am are exempt from charges. Peak hours, from 6am to 10am and 4pm to 8pm, incur a fee of Dh6, while off-peak timings between 10am to 4pm and 8pm to 1am carry a reduced charge of Dh4.
Between February and March 2025, motorists made 11.2 million Salik-free trips, bringing the total number of exempt journeys in the first half of the year to 27.6 million.
“Chargeable trips amounted to 160.4 million in Q2 2025, up 1.6 per cent from 158 million in the first quarter,” Salik said. This increase was attributed to “robust growth” in toll road usage during peak hours, which rose 46.7 per cent from Q1, largely driven by the addition of two new gates.
The new gates, Business Bay and Al Safa South, were introduced last year. “Trips during the post-midnight toll-free window (Dh0) reached 16.4 million, up 46.8 per cent from the previous quarter,” Salik noted last week, reporting revenue of Dh1.53 billion for the first half of 2025.
