Dubai’s road-toll operator Salik has reported a strong performance in the first half of 2025, with revenue surging 39.5% year-on-year to Dh1.527 billion. The growth was fuelled by the addition of two new toll gates in November 2024 and the introduction of a variable pricing system at the end of January 2025. Net profit for the period rose 41.5% to Dh770.9 million, while earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) reached Dh1.065 billion, delivering a margin of 69.7%.

Toll Usage and Trips.

The total number of trips through Salik’s toll gates — including discounted trips — climbed 39.6% year-on-year to 424.2 million in H1 2025. Chargeable trips in Q2 stood at 160.4 million, slightly higher than Q1’s 158 million. Peak-period trips (Dh6) saw a notable 46.7% increase to 57.7 million, while post-midnight free trips rose 46.8% to 16.4 million. Toll usage fees totalled Dh1.357 billion in H1, up 42.3%, with Q2 alone accounting for Dh691.3 million — a 49.4% jump.

Fines and Tag Activations.

Revenue from fines grew 15.7% in H1 2025 to Dh134.3 million, while Q2 fines increased 15.2% to Dh65.9 million, representing 8.5% of total Q2 revenue. Net violations in Q2 were up 20.3% to 808,500, about 0.4% of net toll traffic. Tag activation fees also saw an uptick, rising 16.2% to Dh22.9 million in H1, with Q2 contributing Dh11.5 million.

Dividend and Growth Outlook.

On the back of strong results, Salik’s board has recommended a cash dividend of Dh770.9 million for H1 2025, equivalent to 10.278 fils per share — representing 100% of first-half profits. The company has also upgraded its full-year 2025 revenue growth guidance to 34–36%, up from the earlier forecast of 28–29%, with expected EBITDA margins of 68.5–69.5%.

Salik Chairman Mattar Al Tayer credited the performance to Dubai’s economic momentum, supported by growth in tourism, real estate, and infrastructure spending. CEO Ibrahim Sultan Al Haddad highlighted rising population, record tourism figures, and increased non-toll income from digital payment partnerships as key growth drivers. “With the visibility we now have into the second half, we are highly confident in Salik’s future growth,” he said.