The Nol Card is an electronic ticketing card that was released for all modes of public transport in Dubai services, in August 2009. The word Nol is an Arabic word نول for fare. The Nol Card system was developed by Hong Kong-based company

Octopus Cards Limited Octopus Cards Limited () is the operator of the Octopus rechargeable contactless smart card used in an electronic payment system in Hong Kong. Octopus Cards Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Octopus Holdings Limited Octopus Holdings Limi ...

. A Nol Card is a credit-card-sized stored-value

contactless smartcard A contactless smart card is a contactless credential whose dimensions are credit-card size. Its embedded integrated circuits can store (and sometimes process) data and communicate with a terminal via NFC. Commonplace uses include transit ticket ...

that can hold prepaid funds to pay for fares on buses and trains within one or more of four "zones". The credit must be added to the card before travel. Passengers "tag on" and "tag off" their card on electronic gates at the metro station or electronic terminals in buses when entering and leaving the transport system in order to validate it or deduct funds. Initially the Cards can be purchased only from Metro Stations and Bus Terminus only. These prepaid Cards can "topped-up" online, at ticket machines or at ticketing offices by

credit Credit (from Latin verb ''credit'', meaning "one believes") is the trust which allows one party to provide money or resources to another party wherein the second party does not reimburse the first party immediately (thereby generating a debt) ...

debit card A debit card, also known as a check card or bank card is a payment card that can be used in place of cash to make purchases. The term '' plastic card'' includes the above and as an identity document. These are similar to a credit card, but ...

cash In economics, cash is money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins. In bookkeeping and financial accounting, cash is current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-im ...

. The card is designed to reduce the number of transactions at ticket offices and the number of paper tickets. Usage is encouraged by offering cheaper fares than the paper ticketed option, although there is a fee to purchase the card. Unlimited one-day trip and monthly passes for the metro is only available with the Nol Red Ticket. The Blue Nol Card offers concessions for students, UAE national senior citizen and the disabled. The number of daily transactions of Nol cards currently tops 1.5 million transactions; which includes passengers’ entry/exit from Metro and bus stations, payment of parking fees, and recharging of cards. In 2012, RTA produces more than 5 million Nol Cards since the day it was launched (August 2009). In June 2013, The Nol card was awarded the Best Prepaid Card in the Middle East in the Smart Card Awards Middle East 2013.

Timeline

*In 2013, The Nol card was awarded the Best Prepaid Card in the Middle East in the Smart Card Awards Middle East 2013. *On 26 September 2013, RTA announced the Smart Nol. *On 21 August 2014, RTA increased the minimum balance from AED 1.80 (US$0.49) to AED 7.50 (US$2.04) to avoid journey interruptions. *On 21 August 2014, RTA saw 52% increase on Nol Card sales since January 2014. *On 21 October 2014, RTA announced new subscription package for the Nol Card. *On 6 November 2014, RTA revised the public transport tariff, to take effect on 11 November 2014.

Usage

The Nol card can be used to pay the fare for travel on the metro,

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ...

, buses and water buses, and for paid parking provided by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The Nol card can also be used on taxis. Currently, only 8000+ taxis including airport taxis accept the Nol card. From mid 2015 onwards, all taxis will be equipped with an upgraded system to accept the Nol card along with Credit/Debit cards.

Types

There are four different types of cards available:

Special Design

The Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has made a new edition of the Personalized Blue Nol cards featuring special designs of Dubai landmarks such as

Burj Al Arab The Burj Al Arab ( ar, برج العرب, ''Arab Tower'') is a luxury hotel located in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Managed by Jumeirah hotel group, it is one of the tallest hotels in the world, although 39% of its total heigh ...

Burj Khalifa The Burj Khalifa (; ar, برج خليفة, , Khalifa Tower), known as the Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration in 2010, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is known for being the world’s tallest building. With a total height ...

, Bastakiya, Clock Roundabout, and the

Trade Center Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct excha ...

in a bid to familiarize visitors, as well as residents, with iconic landmarks of the Emirate.

Limited Edition Cards

The Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) launches limited editions cards to mark various occasions and events such as the National Day. The recent limited edition card was themed on

Expo 2020 Expo 2020 ( ar, إكسبو 2020) was a World Expo hosted by Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. Originally scheduled for 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 ...

Smart Nol

Announced on 26 November 2013, The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced its partnership with

Etisalat Etisalat by e& is an UAE, Emirati-based multinational telecommunications services provider, currently operating in 16 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa. It is the 18th largest mobile network operator in the world by number of sub ...

& du to launch its first ‘Smart Nol’ Service. Smart Nol is similar to

Apple Pay Apple Pay is a mobile payment service by Apple Inc. that allows users to make payments in person, in iOS apps, and on the web. It is supported on these Apple devices: iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac. It digitizes and can replace a cred ...

and

Google Wallet Google Wallet (or simply Wallet) is a digital wallet platform developed by Google. It is available for the Android, Wear OS, and Fitbit OS operating systems, and was announced on May 11, 2022, at the 2022 Google I/O keynote. It began rol ...

tap and pay, Smart Nol uses NFC enabled smart phones to check-in and check-out of the metro, bus, water bus and metro parking.

Requirements

Smart Nol requires NFC SIM from

or du and a compatible handset.

References

External links

Official website

Nol Cards Guide
{{in lang, en Transport in Dubai Contactless smart cards Fare collection systems