Al Wahda Bus Station is the name most people use for Abu Dhabi’s main bus terminal — and it is worth being straight about what it is: there is no separate terminal called “Al Wahda”. The station is Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station, standing in the Al Wahda district beside Al Wahda Mall, at the corner of Hazza Bin Zayed The First Street and Sultan Bin Zayed The First Street, near Al Nahyan Stadium. Journey planners list its stops as “Abu Dhabi, Central Bus Station”, “Abu Dhabi Al Wahda Bus Station” and “Al Wadha Terminal” — all for this one station, the capital’s intercity front door for Dubai coaches, the Al Ain express, the Sharjah bus and dozens of city routes.
This guide covers the station itself: every intercity service based here, the city buses, how to reach it, the facilities, and the one thing that catches visitors out — four different payment systems meet under this roof, and each operator’s bus accepts a different one.
| Al Wahda Bus Station — Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Also called | Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station · Abu Dhabi Main Bus Terminal · “Al Wadha Terminal” in journey planners |
| Location | Al Wahda district, Abu Dhabi island — beside Al Wahda Mall, corner of Hazza Bin Zayed The First Street and Sultan Bin Zayed The First Street, near Al Nahyan Stadium |
| Operator | Abu Dhabi Mobility (formerly the Integrated Transport Centre, ITC) |
| Intercity routes | E100 & E101 to Dubai · X90 to Al Ain · 117 to Sharjah · direct bus to Ajman |
| Airport bus | A1 between Zayed International Airport and the city, serving the terminal area |
| Payment | Hafilat (Abu Dhabi Mobility buses & X90) · Nol (E100 & E101) · Sayer or cash (117) · cash or Masaar (Ajman bus) |
| Help | Ticket counters and information desk at the station · Abu Dhabi Mobility support 800 850 |
One Station, Several Names
The naming confusion around this station is real, so here it is plainly. The district is Al Wahda, the mall next door is Al Wahda Mall, and the terminal itself is officially Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station. Because the mall is the landmark everyone knows, “Al Wahda Bus Station” became the everyday name — and the spelling drifts further in apps, where it shows up as “Al Wadha Terminal”. They are all the same place: one terminal, recognisable by its green wave-shaped roof, in service since 1989.
Two practical consequences follow. First, search “Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station” if “Al Wahda” finds nothing in a journey planner — the station stops are listed under both names, along with the street stops either side of the terminal. Second, do not confuse this station with Abu Dhabi’s other interchange: Mussafah Bus Station (listed by Abu Dhabi Mobility as MBZ City Bus Station) is about 30 km away on the mainland. It has its own Dubai bus, the E102 — but the E100, E101, X90 and 117 all belong here at Central.
Intercity Buses from Al Wahda
Four intercity services are based at the Central Bus Station, each run by a different operator. Abu Dhabi Mobility lists the cross-emirate services among its inter-emirates services.
| Route | Destination | Fare | Payment | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E100 | Dubai — Al Ghubaiba Bus Station | AED 25 | Nol card | Every 20–30 min |
| E101 | Dubai — Ibn Battuta Bus Station | AED 25 | Nol card | Every 20–30 min |
| X90 | Al Ain Central Bus Station | AED 25 | Hafilat card | Roughly hourly |
| 117 (SRTA) | Sharjah — Al Jubail Bus Station | AED 30 | Sayer card or cash | Roughly hourly |
| Ajman direct | Ajman — Al Musalla Bus Station | AED 30 (Masaar) · AED 35 cash | Masaar card or cash | 4 trips a day |
E100 and E101: the Dubai buses
The station’s busiest services are the two RTA coaches to Dubai. The E100 runs to Al Ghubaiba Bus Station in Bur Dubai; the E101 runs to Ibn Battuta Bus Station, beside the Red Line Metro. Between them they leave every 20–30 minutes through the day, the first departures are from around 4:30 AM, and the run takes roughly 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes depending on traffic. The fare is a flat AED 25, paid by Nol card only — these are Dubai buses, so your Hafilat card will not work on them. A third Dubai route, the E102, serves Mussafah instead; all three are compared in our Dubai to Abu Dhabi bus guide.
X90: the Al Ain express
For Al Ain, the X90 is an Abu Dhabi Mobility express coach from this station to Al Ain Central Bus Station, taking about 2 to 2.5 hours. It runs roughly hourly, with the published pattern starting at 6:45 AM and the last bus at 11:45 PM, and the fare is a flat AED 25 — paid by Hafilat card only. The Al Ain end of the route is covered in our Al Ain Bus Station guide.
117 to Sharjah, and the Ajman bus
SRTA’s route 117 runs direct from Central to Al Jubail Bus Station in Sharjah, taking about 2 hours 40 minutes to 2 hours 50 minutes, at a fare of AED 30. It is a Sharjah bus, so payment is by Sayer card or cash — neither Nol nor Hafilat works on it. Alongside it, a direct Ajman Transport bus links this station with Al Musalla in Ajman four times a day, at AED 30 by Masaar card or AED 35 in cash, taking about 3 hours. There is no direct bus from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah or Ras Al Khaimah — change at Al Jubail (via the 117) or travel via Dubai. The station is also the city terminus for Abu Dhabi Mobility’s X-series regional coaches (X60, X62, X86, X88) to the Al Dhafra region — long Hafilat-paid runs of around 3 to 3.5 hours towards Ruwais and Al Dhannah; check Darbi for their infrequent departures.
City Buses at the Central Station
The terminal is also one of the city network’s main interchanges: dozens of Abu Dhabi Mobility routes start here, end here or call at the stops on the streets around it. The routes the DARB feed shows at the station stops include the 34 towards Emirates Palace and the Marina side, the 54 to the Fish Market at Mina Zayed, the 55 towards Corniche Hospital, the 56 to Khalifa Park, the 101 and 102 towards Mussafah and Dalma Mall, the 104 to MBZ City South East, the 110 towards Baniyas and the A1 airport bus. Check your route and stop in the Darbi app before you set out: some services use the terminal stands inside the station, others the street stops just outside.
Al Wahda Bus Station Timings
There is no single station timetable, because four operators share the terminal and each keeps its own schedule. The pattern is consistent, though: the first Dubai coaches leave from around 4:30 AM, city buses run from the early morning, and intercity departures continue until late evening — the X90’s last Al Ain bus leaves at 11:45 PM, and city services run to around midnight and, on some routes, beyond. Check your exact departure before you set out: Darbi for Abu Dhabi Mobility buses and the X90, S’hail for the E100 and E101, and SRTA channels for the 117.
How to Reach Al Wahda Bus Station
By city bus: dozens of routes serve the station and the street stops around it (see above), so from most of Abu Dhabi island there is a direct bus to the terminal. The same Hafilat card covers the ride.
From the airport: the A1 bus links Zayed International Airport with the city and serves the terminal area — the budget arrival option. A taxi takes roughly 30–40 minutes depending on traffic.
By taxi: taxis wait outside the terminal and can be booked through the Abu Dhabi Taxi app. Ask for “Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station” or “Al Wahda Mall” — every driver knows both.
By car: the station sits at the junction of Hazza Bin Zayed The First Street and Sultan Bin Zayed The First Street, with Al Wahda Mall’s parking next door. The junction is among the city’s busiest at peak times, so allow extra minutes then.
Facilities and Tickets
The Central Bus Station is a full-service terminal rather than a simple stop. Inside you will find ticket counters and an information desk — the place to confirm the day’s departures and your stand — waiting areas, and departure information. This is a station to sort your cards out: Hafilat cards are sold and topped up here, and there is a Nol top-up machine inside for the Dubai coaches — essential, because there is nowhere on an E100 or E101 itself to fix a low balance. For food, coffee and shops, Al Wahda Mall is immediately next door.
Hafilat, Nol, Sayer: Paying at Al Wahda
Payment is where this station catches people out, because each operator takes a different card. Abu Dhabi Mobility’s buses — the city network and the X90 — take the Hafilat card only; cash is not accepted on board. Dubai’s E100 and E101 take the Nol card only, so arrive with a topped-up Nol card: Hafilat balance cannot be spent on them. Sharjah’s 117 takes the Sayer card or cash, and the Ajman bus takes cash or the Masaar card. Sort your card before you join the queue — no driver can sell you another operator’s card on board.
For the Hafilat buses, the mechanics are the same as everywhere in Abu Dhabi. An anonymous Hafilat card costs AED 10, from this station and partner shops such as Lulu and SPAR. City fares are distance-based: AED 2 boarding plus 5 fils per kilometre, capped at AED 5 for journeys over 60 km — most cross-city rides from Central work out at AED 2–4. Tap in when you board and tap out when you leave: forgetting to tap out charges the maximum fare. Transfers within 60 minutes of tapping out waive the second boarding fee, and children aged 10 and below travel free. The X90 is the exception: a flat AED 25 to Al Ain.
Tips for Using Al Wahda Bus Station
- Carry the right card for the right bus: Hafilat for Abu Dhabi buses and the X90, Nol for the E100/E101, Sayer or cash for the 117, cash or Masaar for Ajman. Mixing them up is the most common mistake at this station.
- Search both names in apps: planners list this station as both “Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station” and “Abu Dhabi Al Wahda Bus Station” (sometimes “Al Wadha Terminal”). If one name finds nothing, try the other.
- Board intercity coaches at the terminus for a seat: the Dubai buses and the X90 start empty here. Friday-afternoon and Sunday-evening departures are the busiest, so arrive 15–20 minutes early then.
- The X90 and 117 are roughly hourly — plan backwards: miss one and you wait about an hour. Confirm the next departure in the app first.
- Do not mix up Central and Mussafah: the E102 to Dubai leaves from Mussafah (MBZ City) Bus Station, 30 km away — not from here. From Central, your Dubai buses are the E100 and E101.
Is Al Wahda Bus Station the same as Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station?
Yes — they are the same station. “Al Wahda” is the district and the mall beside the terminal, and it became the everyday name for Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station (the Abu Dhabi Main Bus Terminal). Journey planners list it under both names, sometimes as “Al Wadha Terminal”.
Where is Al Wahda Bus Station located?
In the Al Wahda district of Abu Dhabi island, immediately beside Al Wahda Mall at the corner of Hazza Bin Zayed The First Street and Sultan Bin Zayed The First Street, near Al Nahyan Stadium.
Which bus goes from Al Wahda Bus Station to Dubai?
Two: the E100 to Al Ghubaiba Bus Station in Bur Dubai, and the E101 to Ibn Battuta Bus Station beside the Metro Red Line. Between them they run every 20–30 minutes from around 4:30 AM, take roughly 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes, and cost a flat AED 25 — paid by Nol card only.
How do I get from Al Wahda Bus Station to Al Ain?
Take the X90 express from the Central Bus Station to Al Ain Central Bus Station. It runs roughly hourly — published first bus 6:45 AM, last bus 11:45 PM — takes about 2 to 2.5 hours, and costs a flat AED 25, paid by Hafilat card only.
Is there a bus from Al Wahda Bus Station to Sharjah?
Yes — SRTA route 117 runs direct from Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station to Al Jubail Bus Station in Sharjah, roughly hourly, taking about 2 hours 40 minutes to 2 hours 50 minutes. The fare is AED 30, paid by Sayer card or cash — Nol and Hafilat are not accepted on it.
Which card do I need at Al Wahda Bus Station?
It depends on the bus — four systems meet at this one station. City buses and the X90 take the Hafilat card; the E100 and E101 to Dubai take the Nol card; the 117 to Sharjah takes Sayer card or cash; and the Ajman bus takes cash or the Masaar card.
How do I get from Al Wahda Bus Station to Zayed International Airport?
The A1 airport bus serves the terminal area and runs between the city and Zayed International Airport — the budget option in both directions. Check its current times in the Darbi app, and allow plenty of time before check-in; a taxi takes roughly 30–40 minutes.
What time is the first and last bus from Al Wahda Bus Station?
It depends on the route. The first Dubai coaches leave from around 4:30 AM and city buses run from the early morning; the last intercity departure — the X90 to Al Ain — leaves at 11:45 PM, and city services run to around midnight or later. Check your route in the Darbi or S’hail app.
Related Routes
- Dubai to Abu Dhabi Bus — all routes compared
- Al Ain Bus Station: Routes, Timings & Intercity Buses
- Mussafah Bus Station Abu Dhabi: Routes & Timings
Daniyal Sheikh
Transport Editor, UAE Travel Hub
Dubai daily commuter covering the Metro, Nol cards, RTA buses and intercity routes across all seven emirates — every fare and timing checked against official RTA, ITC and SRTA sources.
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