Abu Dhabi Bus Routes: Fares, Timings and Night Buses

Abu Dhabi buses run from 06:00 to 01:00 every day, with night routes N41 and N43 covering midnight to 04:00. Fares are distance-based rather than zoned: AED 2 plus AED 0.05 per kilometre, capped at AED 5 for a city journey. That distance charging is exactly why Abu Dhabi requires you to tap out as well as tap in with your Hafilat card.

The Abu Dhabi bus network at a glance

Abu Dhabi’s buses are operated by Abu Dhabi Mobility and cover the city, the wider emirate, the airport and Al Ain. The network is cheap, runs long hours, and keeps the same schedule seven days a week including public holidays, which is unusual.

Item	Detail
Operator	Abu Dhabi Mobility
Payment	Hafilat card, tap in and tap out
City fare	AED 2 base plus AED 0.05 per kilometre, capped at AED 5
Airport routes	Flat AED 4
Service hours	06:00 to 01:00, every day
Night routes	N41 and N43, midnight to 04:00
Main hub	Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station

Nearly 19 hours of daily service, plus dedicated night routes, means the only genuinely uncovered window is roughly 04:00 to 06:00. That is better overnight coverage than either Dubai’s metro or Sharjah’s local buses provide.

How distance-based fares work

This is the part of the Abu Dhabi system that is genuinely different, and understanding it explains a rule that otherwise seems arbitrary.

Journey type	How the fare is calculated
City journey	AED 2 base plus AED 0.05 per kilometre, capped at AED 5
Intercity journey	AED 2 base plus AED 0.10 per kilometre
Airport routes	A flat AED 4, regardless of distance

Because the fare depends on how far you actually travel, the system needs to know where you got on and where you got off. That is the whole reason Abu Dhabi asks you to tap out at the end of the journey, while Dubai, which charges by zone, does not.

The AED 5 cap on city journeys is a useful safeguard: however far you ride within the city, you will not pay more than that. Intercity journeys have no equivalent cap and charge double the per-kilometre rate, which is why the Al Ain run costs so much more than a trip across town. That route is covered in our Abu Dhabi to Al Ain bus timings guide.

Timings, frequency and night buses

Service is consistent through the week, with frequency rather than hours varying between peak and off-peak.

Period	Frequency
Morning peak, 07:00 to 09:00	Every 10 to 15 minutes
Evening peak, 17:00 to 19:00	Every 10 to 15 minutes
Off peak	Every 20 to 30 minutes
Night routes N41 and N43	Midnight to 04:00

The night routes are the detail worth remembering. Most UAE transport simply stops overnight, so a dedicated pair of night buses running from midnight to 04:00 puts Abu Dhabi ahead of both its neighbours for late travel.

Because the schedule applies every day including weekends and public holidays, you do not need to check for a different Friday or Sunday timetable the way you do with the Dubai Metro.

One consequence of distance pricing worth planning around is that a short hop costs very little. Two or three kilometres across the city centre lands near the AED 2 base fare, which makes the bus genuinely competitive with walking in the summer heat. In Dubai the same short trip would cost AED 3 because the zone fare does not scale down, so Abu Dhabi is the cheaper city for short journeys even though its long ones cost more.

Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station

Almost every city, regional and intercity route passes through or starts at the Central Bus Station, which sits near Al Wahda Mall.

Facility	Use
Ticket offices	Buying and topping up Hafilat cards
Vending machines	Self-service top-ups
Customer service desks	Route and fare enquiries
Digital information boards	Departure information

It is also the Abu Dhabi terminus for the E100 and E101 from Dubai and the 117 from Sharjah, which makes it the single most important transport point in the emirate. If you are arriving from another emirate, this is almost certainly where you will land, and where you will pick up a Hafilat card before continuing.

How it differs from Dubai and Sharjah?

The three emirates use three genuinely different fare models, which is why a single mental model does not carry across the country.

Emirate	Fare model	Tap out needed?
Abu Dhabi	Distance based, per kilometre	Yes
Dubai	Zone based	Not on intercity buses
Sharjah	Broadly flat per journey	No

Once you see the fare model, the tapping rules follow logically from it. Distance charging needs two taps, zone and flat charging do not. The card details are in our Hafilat card guide, with the neighbours covered in our Nol card guide and Sharjah bus routes guide.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a bus fare in Abu Dhabi?

City journeys start at AED 2 and add AED 0.05 per kilometre, capped at AED 5. Airport routes charge a flat AED 4, and intercity journeys use a higher rate of AED 0.10 per kilometre on top of the AED 2 base.

Why do I have to tap out on Abu Dhabi buses?

Because fares are calculated by distance travelled. The system needs both the boarding and the alighting point to work out how far you went, so a second tap is required. Dubai charges by zone instead, which is why it does not need one.

Do Abu Dhabi buses run at night?

Yes. Regular services run 06:00 to 01:00 daily, and night routes N41 and N43 cover midnight to 04:00. That leaves only a short window around 04:00 to 06:00 without a bus, which is better overnight coverage than Dubai or Sharjah offer.

Where is the main bus station in Abu Dhabi?

Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station, near Al Wahda Mall. Almost every city, regional and intercity route passes through it, and it is where the E100 and E101 from Dubai and the 117 from Sharjah terminate.

Last verified: October 2026 against current Abu Dhabi Mobility route and fare information
Written by Roman Shah · Reviewed by the UAEexplained editorial team
Source: Abu Dhabi Mobility, the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC)
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