On November 1, 2025, delivery riders in Dubai will face a major change on the city’s roadways. The Dubai Police and the RTA have announced a new rule that prohibits delivery motorcycles from using the fast lanes on major roads. This step aims to lessen road accidents and violations by delivery riders. All this has seen a huge spike over two years.

What’s Changing

According to the new rules set forth, based on the classification of the road, delivery riders will be restricted to specific lanes.

Delivery bikes are not allowed to ply on the two lanes to the leftmost side of the road with 5 or more lines.
Riders are not allowed to drive in the leftmost lane on 3 and 4-lane roads.
On roads with two or fewer lanes, riders may continue to use any lane as before.

In Dubai, all commercial delivery riders who work for online apps and courier firms must obey the rule. In a few weeks, road boards will be put up to impose restrictions, and awareness campaigns will be run.

Why the New Rule

The Dubai Police released statistics that led to this ban, as accidents happened as a result of it.

According to official figures

In 2024, there were 854 accidents involving delivery bikes. This year alone, 962 accidents have been reported. This year only delivery riders missed the traffic signal 78,000 times.

According to officials, most of the incidents happened on fast lanes. Motorcycles are usually more vulnerable on fast lanes as bigger vehicles at higher speeds change lanes.

According to an RTA representative, motorcycles are one of the most vulnerable vehicles. Riders who weave between cars to meet their delivery times are prone to serious accidents in high-speed lanes.

The Purpose Behind the Rule

The new regulation aims to enhance traffic safety and streamline norms of the delivery sector. Thousands of riders use the roads in Dubai every day, courtesy of the booming food delivery, e-commerce and on-demand courier services.

The officials say that this speed growth has created new challenges on the city’s roads. Overtaking is being done in an unsafe manner, heavy speeding, lane indiscipline, and more.

The RTA and Dubai Police are hoping to stop any reckless driving by delivery bikes.

Reduce accidents and fatalities among riders.
Improve overall traffic flow on major roads.
Enhance safety for all drivers.
Promote discipline in the delivery sector.

Penalties and Enforcement

Restricted lanes, if entered by delivery riders from November 1, will attract fines and penalties.

According to reports.

AED 500 fine for the first offence.
AED 700 fine for the second offence.
A rider’s permit could be suspended for repeated offences.

The violators will be caught using police patrolling, road cameras, and smart monitoring. The delivery companies also trained their riders to follow the new rules. Dubai Police officials confirmed that warnings will initially be issued. After that, strict fines will be issued after the grace period.

How It Will Work

The RTA will start putting up road signs on highways and multi-lane roads to indicate motorcycle-restricted zones.

Companies and apps will notify delivery riders of the news. According to the law, it will mainly affect riders working for well-known food delivery applications like Talabat, Deliveroo, Careem and Noon as well as smaller parcel delivery services.

RTA will honour compliant companies through an excellence award in the delivery sector. It will reward companies with safe and responsible delivery operations to encourage the following of laws.

Reactions from the Public and Riders

Residents and delivery riders have responded differently to the new rule. As many motorists welcomed the decision, it will make the highways safer and won’t allow sudden lane changes by bikes. Yet, some delivery riders fear that it may slow down deliveries and impact their income.

A delivery rider in Al Barsha said, “I know safety is essential, but sometimes you have to speed to deliver the food on time.” If we don’t use the fast lane, we might get late and get bad ratings. Due to the situation, officials said they are coordinating with delivery companies to change delivery times and prevent riders from being pressured into driving safely.

Statistics Highlight the Need

The delivery business has grown hugely since 2020 in Dubai. There are thousands of delivery bikes operating in Dubai on a daily basis and they work for long hours, many times without proper breaks.

This boom has led to more traffic violations and accidents:

Year	Delivery Bike Accidents	Traffic Violations
2024	854	70,000+
2025 (till Sept)	962	78,000+

Many of those accidents happened along high-speed roads, especially in the leftmost lanes. Authorities believe keeping motorcycles in the slow lane will reduce the risk.

RTA’s Message to Delivery Companies

The RTA called upon delivery companies to take proactive measures to apply the new regulation.

Train riders about lane usage and road signs.
Update route maps in mobile apps.
Monitor riders through GPS tracking.
Reward safe driving with bonuses or recognition.
Report repeated violations to the authorities.

Businesses that adhere to the latest rules of safety may get certificates of compliance and more.

Education and Awareness Campaigns

Before the law gets enforced and then after, the campaign will be a massive awareness campaign launched by the Dubai police and RTA.

The campaign will include.
Posters and billboards across the city.
Short videos on social media.
Alerts on delivery apps.
Workshops for delivery riders.
Coordination with major delivery platforms.

Officials stated that the rule was not to penalise riders, but to save lives.

International Safety Standards

The regulation is in line with international best practices for motorcycle safety in busy urban areas. In nations such as Singapore, Japan and the UK, restrictions exist for two-wheeler vehicles on expressways and fast lanes. Dubai’s initiative reflects the Vision Zero commitment to eliminate road deaths and serious injuries.

Key Takeaways

Effective Date: November 1, 2025
Applies To: All delivery riders in Dubai
Fast Lane Ban:
- Two left lanes are banned on 5+ lane roads
- One left lane is banned on 3–4 lane roads
- No restriction on 2-lane roads
Fines: AED 500–700
Goal: Reduce rising accidents and violations

Final Word

Dubai won’t allow delivery riders and their bicycles to use the fast lanes anymore. This would help them be safer. We have seen nearly 1000 accidents already this year, with many more tens of thousands of violations so yes, Change is a must.

The rule may slow down deliveries a bit, but it aims to save the lives of the riders and others. Dubai is modernising the transport system; this message reflects that safety comes first in all operations in Dubai.