Dubai's mass transit system reported more than 270 million rides during the first half of this year, according to data released by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of the UAE emirate.

The ridership of public transport means, including Dubai Metro, Dubai Tram, Dubai Bus, marine transit modes and taxis in Dubai, clocked at 273,452,791 compared with 271,302,000 during the first half of last year, a Wam news agency report quoting the data said.

"The number of Dubai Metro commuters, using both the Red and Green lines had soared considerably during the first six month of 2016 to reach 96,486,495 compared to 88,252,034 during the same period of 2015. A total of 2,535,429 people used Dubai Tram in the first half of 2016 compared with 2,552,756 using this mode in the same period of 2015," Mattar Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the board of executive directors of RTA, said.

Public buses served 69,922,328 riders in the first six months of this year with Dubai Bus service accounting for the largest share at 44,835,999 riders, followed by metro stations feeder service that was used by 16,434,997 people, and the intercity bus service, which carried 5,566,279 riders. 3,085,000 riders used the rented bus service provided to public and private entities, the data showed.

The share of public transport in the mobility of residents has soared from 6 percent in 2006 to 15 percent in 2015, and the rate is expected to reach 16 percent by the end of this year. The RTA aims to push this share to 30 percent by 2030.