Motorists driving into Abu Dhabi between 1 and 3 December can leave their wallets at home: the emirate’s Integrated Transport Centre announced on 29 November that all surface parking bays and Darb road-pricing gates will be free for 72 hours in honour of the UAE’s 54th National Day.
The holiday falls in the middle of the peak inbound travel window, and authorities hope the fee-freeze will smooth traffic flows as residents, expatriates and visiting relatives converge on Corniche fireworks, Al Hosn heritage shows and Yas Island concerts. Public buses will run extended schedules, and taxi dispatchers have been told to pre-stage vehicles at event hubs to minimise ride-hailing surge pricing.
![Abu Dhabi to waive parking fees and Darb tolls during National Day weekend]()
For companies managing transferees and short-term assignees, the announcement offers tactical savings: corporate car-rental contracts that ordinarily absorb Darb tolls (AED 4 per gantry pass) will see cost relief, and employees shuttling between client sites can plan routes without factoring toll exposure.
The decision also serves as a live test of Abu Dhabi’s dynamic-pricing model, first introduced in 2021 to temper congestion on key bridges. Transport analysts will examine data to gauge whether a temporary toll holiday triggers gridlock or simply redistributes traffic to off-peak hours—a metric that could influence future policy tweaks.
Normal tolling and parking enforcement will resume at 7 a.m. on Thursday, 4 December, with standard grace periods reinstated.
The holiday falls in the middle of the peak inbound travel window, and authorities hope the fee-freeze will smooth traffic flows as residents, expatriates and visiting relatives converge on Corniche fireworks, Al Hosn heritage shows and Yas Island concerts. Public buses will run extended schedules, and taxi dispatchers have been told to pre-stage vehicles at event hubs to minimise ride-hailing surge pricing.
For companies managing transferees and short-term assignees, the announcement offers tactical savings: corporate car-rental contracts that ordinarily absorb Darb tolls (AED 4 per gantry pass) will see cost relief, and employees shuttling between client sites can plan routes without factoring toll exposure.
The decision also serves as a live test of Abu Dhabi’s dynamic-pricing model, first introduced in 2021 to temper congestion on key bridges. Transport analysts will examine data to gauge whether a temporary toll holiday triggers gridlock or simply redistributes traffic to off-peak hours—a metric that could influence future policy tweaks.
Normal tolling and parking enforcement will resume at 7 a.m. on Thursday, 4 December, with standard grace periods reinstated.
