In this blog I hope I would be of help not only
to the tourists in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but also to the residents in these
cities. Most tourists and residents usually travel between Dubai and Abu Dhabi
via a car drive where you can reach within a timeline of 1 hour or 1 hour 15
mins. People who can afford can try this where it will cost depending on the
taxi or private car and your exact destination in Abu Dhabi which will range
from 150 AED to 300 AED.
I am not of such rich calibre as I prefer I can
use this money for my activities to have fun. I got to know that there is a bus
service from the Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai. I have seen and used
the buses within Dubai on a daily basis, but I was happy to know that this
service is taking place to Abu Dhabi too. First time I was lost as many didn’t
know the exact information even my close friend who is a resident in Dubai for
almost 5 years as no clue of it. With the help of the RTA I was able to get
some information which I will share with you in this blog. Keep this number
8009090 and also the email ask@rta.ae always handy as any doubts apart from my
information you can just feel free to contact them and they will give you all
what you need from buses, taxis, metro, water taxis and all transportation
relevant information in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The happiest answer which gave me a big smile
was that the ticket one way is only 25 AED. So for both ways, the journey between
Dubai and Abu Dhabi and return cost me only 50 AED. Meanwhile another icing on
the cake is that the bus fares in Abu Dhabi city is only 2 AED per trip. Dubai
usually uses a mandatory NOL card system where you can use in the buses and
metro, but Abu Dhabi city makes it much easier making you pay your 2 AED to the
driver itself.
There are 02 bus locations to Abu Dhabi from
Dubai. One is the Al Ghubaiba Bus station just opposite the Al Ghubaiba Metro
station and the other is at Ibn Battuta Bus Station just opposite the Ibn
Battuta Metro station. It depends on where you stay in Dubai usually if you are
inside the city like Deira or further in Downtown then Al Ghubaiba is the
closest. In case you are near to Dubai Marina, Jebel Ali or Barsha near MOE
then Ibn Battuta will be faster for you.
The buses are very comfortable almost very much
bigger than the city buses. Just like a big private tourist coach. The seats
are so comfortable and I felt that I was in a plane. You can have a small nap
too while on the drive as it is such a relaxing ride. There is no pre booking
for this bus service and you can buy the tickets at the bus ticket office or in
Ibn Battuta the metro station too offers the bus tickets. In case you have a
NOL card and you have adequate credit loaded of 50 AED then you can use it and
does not need another extra ticket on spot as the punch in and out will deduct
the journey fee from the card. The journey from Al Ghubaiba will take approximately
around 2 hours and from Ibn Battuta it’s only 1.5 hours. The bus does not
provide any child seats, but I travelled with my kid who was an infant and he
was comfortable in my seat with me. The bus also offers a separate space where
you can store your luggage and there is also a small food service where a
steward is available for you to buy any soft drinks, water and small snacks
like noodles, chips or buns to enjoy on your way to Abu Dhabi. The front seats
are for women and children same as the normal buses. Please check the signage
before you sit.
The buses usually are available on a 30 mins
frequency throughout the day. In Al Ghubaiba bus station from Sundays to
Wednesdays the service is from 5am to 12 midnight and Fridays until 12.45am the
last bus, but on Thursdays only till 11.30pm. Saturdays the service starts
early from 4.15am till 12.30 midnight. The bus number is E100 and usually stops
at Samha, Abu Dhabi, Shahama Village, Abu Dhabi and the last stop the Central
Bus Station in the city of Abu Dhabi opposite Al Wahda Mall. Usually the last
station is where we need to get off.
On the other hand for passengers using the Ibn
Battuta bus station can look for bus number E101 which operates from Sundays to
Wednesdays from 5am to 10pm, and on Thursdays and Saturdays until 11.15pm.
Meanwhile on Fridays they start only from 6am till the last bus at 11.15pm.
Here the usual frequency is between 30mins to 1 hour depending on the times.
The return from Abu Dhabi to Dubai or if you
are based in Abu Dhabi and want to enter Dubai you can get the bus at the Abu
Dhabi central bus station opposite Al Wahda Mall for the same price of 25 AED.
The busses from Abu Dhabi depart between 04.30am to 12 midnight from Sundays to
Thursdays. On Fridays and Saturdays, the service starts only from 5am until
12midnight. The bus number is 100 and it will stop in Samha, Abu Dhabi, Al
Jafiliya Landside metro bus station, Dubai, Department of Ports and Customs
Dubai and end in Al Ghubaiba bus station.
At the same time if you want to arrive faster
to Ibn Battuta bus station you can hop on to E101 from Abu Dhabi Central bus
station which will only stop in Samha and direct to Ibn Battuta Dubai. It
operates from Saturdays to Thursdays from 6.45am to 1am and on Fridays starts
at 7.45am until 1am. The busses operate in similar frequencies ranging to
30mins to one hour and the tickets can be purchased freshly at the ticket
office premises. You can contact 800 55555 if you need any transportation help
in Abu Dhabi.
I had a wonderful and peaceful journey with my
wife and kid travelling between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. It was very comfortable
and I almost saved 75% per person which I spent for food and activities in Abu
Dhabi which was worth than just having spent that on a car drive. During the
bus ride, I was able to also window sight see many unbelievable and creatively
designed buildings of Abu Dhabi and also some calm desert environments. I left
Dubai at 6.30am and reached back to Dubai that day by 10pm after having had the
best of Abu Dhabi and on the next day I emailed RTA and got the exact schedule
which I had shared for you to download in this blog. This will help you plan
you journey better. As per their customer service representative information to
me they had confirmed that this schedule remains throughout the year no matter
it may be Eid or any public holidays. The only variation would be a 5-10 mins earlier
or later from the expected take off time.
It’s now your chance to save some money just as
I did in my vacation in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Also check our Abu Dhabi to Dubai Bus Timings which may help to plan your journey better
