By Mohammed Rashad Hussain, Managing PartnerPublished 5 min read
Which buses run from Dubai to Abu Dhabi?
RTA lists 12 intercity routes as running now, linking Dubai with Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Hatta, Fujairah and Al Ain. Two of them go to the city of Abu Dhabi.
| Route | Dubai station | Abu Dhabi station | Road distance between stations | Car time without traffic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E100 | Al Ghubaiba Bus Station, Bur Dubai | Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station, Al Wahda | about 147 km | 1 h 35 min |
| E101 | Ibn Battuta Bus Station, Jebel Ali | Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station, Al Wahda | about 116 km | 1 h 12 min |
The routes come from RTA’s Bus Route List. Distances and car times come from the OSRM route planner on OpenStreetMap data, checked on 17 October 2026. A bus takes longer than a car on the same road, with boarding and traffic on top.
RTA’s printed list also shows an E102 between Al Jafiliya Bus Station and Zayed International Terminal A. E102 is missing from the routes RTA says are operating now, though Abu Dhabi Mobility still lists it. Check it in RTA’s journey planner before you plan a flight around it. For the airport coach the other way, see Abu Dhabi Airport to Dubai.
Where do the buses leave from in Dubai, and where do they arrive?
Al Ghubaiba Bus Station is in Bur Dubai, near the creek and the old souq. It is about 10 km from Downtown Dubai, roughly 12 minutes by car. Start here from Deira, Bur Dubai, Karama or Downtown.
Ibn Battuta Bus Station is in Jebel Ali, at the western end of the city. It is about 6 km from Dubai Marina and 26 km from Downtown. Start here from Dubai Marina, JBR, Palm Jumeirah or Jebel Ali. The E101 also cuts about 31 km off the road distance.
Both buses end at Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station in Al Wahda, which Abu Dhabi Mobility calls the Main Bus Station. It is about 3 km from central Abu Dhabi, 12 km from the Louvre on Saadiyat and 34 km from Yas Island by road.
Abu Dhabi’s city buses carry you on from there. Abu Dhabi Mobility charges an AED 2 boarding fee plus 5 fils a kilometre, capped at AED 5 a journey, and children aged 10 and under ride free.
How much is the fare, and how do you pay?
Abu Dhabi Mobility lists the ticket between Abu Dhabi and Dubai at AED 25 a seat. In Abu Dhabi, tickets are sold at the Customer Happiness offices inside the bus station.
In Dubai, RTA links to an online intercity ticket booking from its bus pages, under “Book your intercity tickets”. Confirm the fare and the payment method there or at the station before you travel.
RTA fines passengers AED 200 for riding without paying the fare, so buy before you board.
How long does the bus take, and how often does it run?
On free roads, a car covers the E101 route in about 1 hour 12 minutes and the E100 route in about 1 hour 35 minutes. Plan on more time for the bus. Weekday rush hours on Sheikh Zayed Road slow every vehicle, bus or car.
RTA says the Dubai Bus network runs from 04:00 to 01:00 the next day. Its pages that we could read on 17 October 2026 did not print E100 or E101 departure times, so check your day in RTA’s journey planner on rta.ae.
If you need a fixed departure, Etihad Rail runs 5 trains a day each way between Al Yalayis and Mohamed Bin Zayed City. Times and stations are in our Etihad Rail train guide.
Taking the bus from Abu Dhabi back to Dubai
Abu Dhabi Mobility lists daily trips to Dubai from Abu Dhabi Main Bus Station on the E100, E101 and E102. The fare is AED 25, paid at the station’s Customer Happiness offices.
- E100 returns to Al Ghubaiba, for Bur Dubai and Deira.
- E101 returns to Ibn Battuta, for Dubai Marina and Jebel Ali.
- E102 is the one to check, because RTA does not list it as running now.
The last train back leaves Abu Dhabi Station at 17:43 on weekdays and 18:43 at weekends. After that, the bus, a taxi or a car is the way home.
Luggage, children and late-night travel: what the bus cannot do
RTA’s Dubai Bus rules say bulky luggage, hazardous materials and animals are not allowed inside the bus. Nothing may block the gangway. That suits a day bag, not a family’s checked suitcases.
The bus also leaves you at a station, not your hotel. From Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station, a silver taxi charges a flag fall of AED 5 by day or AED 5.50 at night, plus AED 1.82 a kilometre. Factor that in, as well as the taxi from your Dubai hotel to Al Ghubaiba or Ibn Battuta.
Late at night there is a gap. RTA runs the Dubai Bus network from 04:00 to 01:00, so a 2am landing or a late finish in the capital needs another way across.
When a private car is worth the difference
Four adults on the E101 pay AED 100 in fares, plus a taxi to Ibn Battuta and another from Al Wahda. A private car is one quote for the vehicle, from your door to your address. The drive from Downtown Dubai to central Abu Dhabi is about 139 km, or roughly 1 hour 28 minutes with no traffic.
| Group | Car that fits | Large suitcases |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 3 | Lexus ES 300h or Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 2 |
| Up to 6 | GMC Yukon | 3 |
| Up to 6 with more bags | Mercedes-Benz V-Class | 4 |
| Up to 13 | Mercedes-Benz Sprinter | 6 |
Bag counts are large checked suitcases with every seat in use. The van and minibus options are on our van and group transport page.
Assure runs the Dubai to Abu Dhabi private transfer from any Dubai address, DXB or DWC. A pickup in Abu Dhabi for the drive back needs an Abu Dhabi-licensed vehicle, so we confirm the return leg on request. Other cities are on our intercity transfers page.
Still deciding? How to get from Dubai to Abu Dhabi compares the bus, train, taxi and private car on one table. Every other road out of Dubai is in our guide to road travel from Dubai.
Photos in this guide
Red and white intercity coaches parked under shade canopies at the Bur Dubai bus stationFabio Achilli / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
The shaded bus bays of Al Ghubaiba Bus Station in Bur DubaiGeektaker / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0
Taxis lined up at night outside the Abu Dhabi Main Bus TerminalAyratayrat / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0
