Abu Dhabi’s Central Bus Station anchors the busiest intercity corridor in the UAE: three E-routes to Dubai at AED 25, plus Al Ain and the wider emirate on the city’s own network.
The Central Bus Station on Muroor Road is the emirate’s coach gateway: the Dubai corridor dominates the departures board — E100 to Al Ghubaiba in Old Dubai, E101 to Ibn Battuta on the Marina side, E102 toward Mussafah and the airport — with departures every twenty to thirty minutes through the day.
Tickets are nol-card only at AED 25 one-way; RTA’s e-ticketing adds a booked seat and a dedicated boarding lane. Journey time runs ninety minutes to two hours depending on the route and the E11 traffic.
Abu Dhabi’s own bus network covers the island, the mainland districts and the long runs to Al Ain and the Al Dhafra towns; regional services to the other emirates leave from the same terminal.
Practical note: the station is a taxi hop from most island hotels — there is no metro — so budget ten minutes and AED 15–20 to reach it; the Dubai buses fill from the front on weekend mornings.
The coach is how the two emirates actually commute, and it beats the arithmetic of everything else: AED 25 against a AED 250 taxi. Take the E101 if your Dubai business is anywhere west of the Creek — Ibn Battuta drops you on the Red Line — and the E100 if you want Old Dubai directly. Leave before 8:00 or after 10:00: the Shahama stretch of the E11 clogs at shift change. One honest caution: there is no rail backup yet and the last Dubai-bound bus goes before midnight, so a long dinner in Dubai means a taxi or a hotel. Buy the e-ticket on Fridays — the dedicated lane is worth it when the weekend queue forms.
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