Dubai's public transportation (home, taxis, to live in)

[uptown_urbanist]

How easy or difficult is it to live in Dubai without driving? I know there are buses, and that the brand new metro just opened, so public transportation in Dubai seems like a timely topic.

We're considering some different international job possibilities, and frankly, the thought of learning to drive and starting out on the roads of Dubai is rather frightening. I'm trying to get a general sense of how not driving would impact life as an expat, especially if I'm home with a toddler.

[kerouac2]

It's all a question of where you live in relation to where you work, just like any other city. I saw photos of the new subway being inaugurated this week (just 10km so far); it looks nice, and apparently much more of it will be opening within the next year.

Don't forget that in the Middle East and lots of the rest of the developing world, people jump into taxis all the time. Once you know the rates for going to the various places (not obvious at first, in places without meters!), it's quite easy to get around. And once you become a "local" you can usually count on a specific driver to adopt you and to happen to be waiting around for you whenever you walk out the door. (This can also be annoying if you ever decide you want to walk somewhere, because they won't agree with your decision at all!)