Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station: Location, Routes, Timings

Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station is a popular public transport hub present in the Al Wahda district. Also named as Abu Dhabi Main Bus Terminal, It serves as a central transit point in the capital city of UAE that provides affordable and convenient travelling solutions to the residents through its extensive local and regional bus routes. 

Due to its prime location closer to the city’s major attractions and easy connectivity to other emirates, it has become a key transportation choice among many locals and tourists for budget-friendly explorations. To help you utilize the terminal to its full advantage, Burj Diary has compiled all the vital information about the facilities and routes that Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station offers. Read on and reveal all the prominent destinations you can reach from here as a first-time or frequent traveller. 

For know-how of public transports specific to Dubai, give our article on Dubai Metro Map guide a read. 

Introduction

Located on Sultan Bin Zayed the First Street, in front of Al Wahda Mall, It’s the main bus terminal of Abu Dhabi from where you can catch several public buses going within the town and to other emirates. It provides local, regional, airport and express bus services, operating under the supervision of the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC). That means whether you wish to go to the Airport, visit a neighbouring state like Sharjah or Dubai or explore Abu Dhabi’s iconic landmarks, you will find economical transport for almost all of your desired destinations here. 

The station was opened in 1989 in Al Wahda in an effort to provide an efficient and safe public transport system to the Abu Dhabi residents. It operates 24/7 and covers all the facilities to give you a comfortable and seamless travelling experience. However, what makes it stand out is its strategic middle location, which is easily accessible for passengers from all sides of the city. 

Let’s have a detailed look at the amenities, popular internal and external terminal destinations and nearby spots below.

Facilities

Designed by the architect of a Bulgarian state construction firm, Georgie Kolarov, the spacious Green Building of Abu Dhabi’s central bus station is well-equipped with all the essentials to make your journeys as convenient as possible. These cover

• Ticket Desks: Just like Dubai Metro stations, there are active ticket desks hosted by friendly staff where you can buy tickets for your desired routes. These stay open throughout the operating hours of the terminal. You can also purchase a new Hafilat card or get it reloaded if you plan to use the buses frequently. 
• Waiting Area: The terminal also includes a spacious and clean waiting area with separate men’s and women’s seating so you can relax and wait for your arriving buses in peace. 
• Prayer Rooms: There’s a dedicated worship area to facilitate passengers in offering their daily prayers. It is clean and quiet and includes all prayer essentials so you can use it easily for your salats. 
• Information/Customer Care Center: If you’re a first-time traveller or have any questions relevant to routes and bus timings, you can reach out to the staff at the information desk, and they’ll courteously provide you with all the required details.
• Electronic Displays: To ensure passengers ride on their vehicles on time, the station displays schedules and departure timings of all buses using electronic boards. 
• Toilets: There are also gender-specific restrooms with regularly maintained hygiene and amenities like handsoaps, which you can utilize to freshen up during your travels. 
• Cafes: If you’re feeling hungry, you can head to their on-site café shops and grab quick bites, meals and snacks to keep you full.
• ATMS: The terminal also contains ATMs to help passengers withdraw cash amounts instantly when needed.
• Cycle Parking Area and Taxi Rank: If you’re travelling to the station on your cycles, you can park them safely in the terminal’s cycle parking area. Furthermore, a taxi rank also helps the arriving passengers book private cabs to their preferred areas in the city. 
• Free Wifi: There’s even free internet access, which you can use to watch something entertaining while you wait or to stay connected with your family and friends. 
• Inside Buses: Apart from the station, the buses themselves are Air Conditioned and contain comfortable seats and all other necessities for enjoyable journeys. 

Destinations to Travel From Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station

As stated earlier, the buses at Abu Dhabi main terminal cover local and regional trips as well as inter-city travel. Let’s see what external and internal places you can reach, starting from here.

External Routes

The Abu Dhabi main bus stop provides direct intercity buses to Dubai, Sharjah and Al Ain and indirect inter-connected bus routes to Ajman, RAK, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain. 

Details about the bus lines for these routes are given below.    

Dubai: 

E-100: Towards Al Ghubaiba, Dubai

• It will take you to the Al Ghubaiba Bus Station in Bur Dubai. 
• The bus arrives every 15-30 minutes and takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes to complete the journey. 
• The first bus arrives at 4:30 AM to 5:00 AM and the last one between 12 AM to 2 AM. You can check complete timings for all weekdays here.  

E101: towards Ibn Battuta, Dubai

• It will take you to the Ibn Battuta Bus Station near Jabal Ali in Dubai 
• The bus arrives after every 30 minutes and takes about 1 hour 45 minutes hours to complete the journey. 
• The first bus comes between 6:50 AM and 7:50 AM, and the last arrives around 1 AM. 
• See complete time schedules for the entire week here.  

Sharjah: 

117: towards Al Jubail, Sharjah

• It goes to the Al Jubail Bus station in Sharjah from terminal 1 of Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station. 
• The bus arrives every 35 to 60 minutes with an estimated journey time of 2.5 hours. 
• The first bus runs at 6:30 AM, while the final bus comes at 11:15 PM. 

Al Ain:

X99: towards Al Ain Bus Station

• X99 goes to the Al Ain bus stop starting from the Abu Dhabi main terminal. 
• The bus leaves every 30 minutes, and the total journey takes about 2 hours to complete.

Ajman:

Although there’s no direct bus going to Ajman, you can take interconnecting routes starting from the Abu Dhabi Central Station’s terminal 1 and travel through Dubai and Sharjah to finally reach Ajman. Here’s how:

E100-e306-e400: Towards Giant Supermarket, Ajman

• Ride on the E100 bus at T1 of Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station. It will take you to Al Ghubaiba station in Dubai. 
• Take E306 from Al Ghubiaba station. It will go to the Sharjah Al Jubail Bus stop. 
• Take the E400 from Sharjah King Faisal Road Gold Souq station, and it will take you to Ajman at the Giant Supermarket stop. 
• The total time of the trip would be around 3 hours and 30 minutes.

Fujairah:

E100-e700: Towards Choithrams Supermarket 1, Fujairah

• Ride on the E100 bus and reach Dubai. 
• Go to Union Square bus station in Dubai and catch the E700 bus. It will take you to Coithrm Supermarket 1 station in Fujairah while covering the Dibba Al Fujairah Bus Stop and Fujairah Main Bus terminal in between. 

Ras Al Khaimah:

E100-union Metro Bus Station: Towards Al Hamra Bus Stop, Rak

• First, catch the E100 bus from Abu Dhabi Central bus station and arrive in Dubai. 
• Then, travel to the Union Square metro bus stop 1 in Dubai, where you’ll find a bus going directly to RAK’s Al Hamra Bus stop. 
• The total journey takes around 3.5 to 4 hours. 

Umm Al Quwain:

117-115: towards public transport stop, Umm Al Quwain

• Catch the 117 bus going to Al Jubail station in Sharjah from Abu Dhabi’s main terminal. 
• Get off the bus, go to terminal 3 of Jubail station and sit on the 115 bus. 
• It will take you directly to the Umm Al Quwain Public bus station. 
• The total time can be 4-5 hours, depending on the traffic.

Internal Routes

Some of the famous attraction points in Abu Dhabi that you can access through buses on the Abu Dhabi main bus terminal are as follows: 

• Sheikh Zayed Mosque: City Bus 094, 30 minutes travel 
• Yas Mall: Regional Bus 175, 1 hour 40 minutes travel

• Ferrari World: Regional Bus 160 and 216, 2 hours 20 minutes travel 
• Marina Mall: City bus 034 and 022, 26 to 25 minutes travel
• Musaffah: Regional bus 110, 40 minutes travel

Complete details on all regional, city and express bus routes, stops and their time schedules can be found on the official site of Integrated Transport Center, Abu Dhabi. 

To Abu Dhabi International Airport:

You can also travel to and from directly from the Abu Dhabi airport by taking the following bus at the terminal. 

• Abu Dhabi International Airport: Regional Bus A2, 1-hour travel

Bus Fares

The bus charges vary depending on the trip types and routes. While the base fare is set at 2AED, The prices increase for regional and intercity trips depending upon the number of kilometres travelled. That means you’ll be charged according to the distance you have covered for all trips outside the city. 

As per the recent announcements by ITC, the public bus fares have further been standardized according to which the total cost for a single local/regional trip will be capped at 5AED max. That means if you require riding on more than one bus (local or suburbs) to reach your destination, you won’t have to pay the base tariff of 2AED repeatedly anymore. 

How These Bus Fares Are Paid?

The standard mode of fare payments is through Hafilat cards, which can be purchased for 10 AED with a validity of 5 years. Residents can reload them with different balance amounts when needed and pay for all their journeys with ease. You can also get Hafilat passes in weekly (30AED), monthly(80AED) or annual categories(500AED) depending upon your travel needs. 

If you want to know more about Hafilat cards and their recharging methods, go through our guides on How to Hafilat Recharge Online: Top up Your Hafilat Card and How to Check Hafilat Card Balance Online in Easy Steps . 

Popular Spots Near to Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station

The central bus stop is also in close proximity to specific communities and attractions which you can visit and explore quickly. Some of these are listed below. 

Attraction Points:

• Al Wahda Mall: minutes walk away (800meters)
• Al Bateen Palace: 8 minutes drive away (4.8km)
• Gold Souq: 5 minutes drive away (2.1km)
• Delma Park: 5 minutes drive away (2.6km)

Communities:

• Al Khalidiya: 9 minutes drive away (3.8km)
• Al Manhal: 5 minutes drive away (1.9km)
• Al Mushrif: 8 minutes drive away (5.3km)
• Al Bateen: 9 minutes drive away (3.9 km)

Hotels:

If you’re a tourist or expat looking for accommodation closer to the station, you can consider the following hotels that are present very close to the terminal. 

• Royal Rose: 10 minutes drive away (3.8km)
• Beach Rotana: 13 minutes drive away (4.8km)
• Ramada by Wyndham Abu Dhabi Downtown: 8 minutes drive away (3.5km)
• Villaggio Hotel & Resort: 6 minutes drive away (2.9km)

Restaurants/Cafes: 

Those in the mood for quick fancy meals can also stop by the following eateries present at close distance to the terminal. 

• Denny’s Diner Middle East:  12 minutes drive away (4.9km)
• Urban Kitchen: 2 minutes drive away (3.6km)
• Thai Station restaurant: 4 minutes drive away (1.7km)
• Calicut Bluefin Restaurant: 12 minutes walk away (1.8km)
• Caffe Nero: 12 minutes drive away (4.7km)
• Star Bucks: 16 minutes drive away (12km)

Summing Up

With impressive facilities, an extensive route network and reasonable ticket costs, Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station has made local travel easier for thousands of citizens and tourists. We have tried our best to cover all the particulars of this transit heartbeat so that you won’t have to face difficulty accessing the terminal services. Should you have any further questions, please ask in the comments below, and we’ll be more than happy to help. Until then, take your Hafilat cards and enjoy exploring Abu Dhabi and the UAE with significant savings.