Abu Dhabi to Sharjah Bus: Timings, Fare & Routes

Yes — there is a direct Abu Dhabi to Sharjah bus, despite what several older guides still claim. Route 117, run under Sharjah’s SRTA with Abu Dhabi Mobility, connects Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station with Al Jubail Bus Station in Sharjah for AED 30, with a journey time of about 2 hours 40 minutes to 2 hours 50 minutes and buses through most of the day in both directions. This guide gives the Abu Dhabi to Sharjah bus timing for both directions — including the full Sharjah to Abu Dhabi departure list from SRTA’s official schedule enquiry — plus fares, stops, how to buy your ticket, and the via-Dubai alternative for travellers whose timings do not line up.

Abu Dhabi to Sharjah Bus — Quick Facts

Detail	Abu Dhabi → Sharjah (117R)	Sharjah → Abu Dhabi (117G)
Departs from	Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station (next to Al Wahda Mall)	Al Jubail Bus Station, Sharjah
Arrives at	Al Jubail Bus Station, Sharjah	Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station
Fare	AED 30	AED 33 (some guides still quote AED 35)
Journey time	About 2h 50m	About 2h 40m
First bus	Early morning (see timings note below)	3:45am
Last bus	Late evening, around 11:15pm (guide-reported)	11:30pm
Frequency	Roughly every 35–60 minutes (guide-reported)	Every 45 minutes most of the day, hourly in the evening
Tickets	Buy at the station before boarding; carry cash (card acceptance on this route is not officially confirmed). Nol cards are NOT accepted.
Operator	Route 117 — SRTA (Sharjah) intercity service, listed by Abu Dhabi Mobility among its inter-emirates departures

Last verified: 2 November 2026, against Abu Dhabi Mobility’s official inter-emirates listing and SRTA’s schedule enquiry (checked October 2026). Sharjah-bound departure times are the least consistently published of any UAE intercity route — confirm your bus on the SRTA schedule enquiry or at the station before travelling.

Is There a Direct Abu Dhabi to Sharjah Bus?

Yes. Abu Dhabi Mobility’s official inter-emirates services page lists routes 117 and 118 departing Abu Dhabi Main Bus Station in its AED 30 fare band — that is the Sharjah service, listed separately from the AED 25 Dubai routes (E100, E101, E102). SRTA’s own schedule enquiry likewise returns a direct 117 service between Abu Dhabi Bus Station and Sharjah’s Al Jubail Station, in both directions (labelled 117R towards Sharjah and 117G towards Abu Dhabi).

So why do some well-known UAE blogs say there is “no direct Abu Dhabi to Sharjah bus” and send you via Dubai? Those sections date from the period when intercity services were disrupted and rewritten several times, and the claim has been copied from site to site ever since. The direct bus exists — but the outdated claim is exactly why this route’s timings are so hard to find, and why we flag below which times come from the official enquiry and which are only guide-reported.

Abu Dhabi to Sharjah Bus Timing (Route 117R)

Buses leave Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station — the main station beside Al Wahda Mall — and arrive at Al Jubail Bus Station in Sharjah. Note the terminal: it is Al Jubail, not Rolla. Rolla appears in some guides because tickets for the return journey have historically been sold at several Sharjah counters and other Sharjah routes use Rolla, but the 117 itself terminates at Al Jubail.

The fare is AED 30, matching Abu Dhabi Mobility’s official fare band for this route, and the scheduled journey time on the SRTA enquiry is 2 hours 50 minutes. The enquiry confirms departures in the small hours (00:45 and 01:30 were returned in the most recent check), while published operator guides report a full daytime service: first bus in the early morning — guides variously report 6:00am or 6:30am — then departures roughly every 35 to 60 minutes, tightening to about every 35 minutes in the afternoon peak, with the last bus at around 11:15pm. Guides disagree on the exact first and last bus for this direction, so treat the daytime pattern as approximate and verify your specific departure on the SRTA bus schedule enquiry before you set out.

Stops on the way to Sharjah

Guide-published stop lists for the 117 towards Sharjah are: Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station, Shahama Village, and Ansar Mall in Sharjah, before terminating at Al Jubail Bus Station. Intermediate boarding points were not shown in the official schedule enquiry, so if you need to board or alight at Shahama or Ansar Mall, confirm at the station ticket counter first. The route covers roughly 160 km via the Abu Dhabi–Dubai corridor and Ittihad Road into Sharjah — allow extra time on Thursday and Friday evenings, when the Sharjah approach roads are at their busiest.

Sharjah to Abu Dhabi Bus Timing (Route 117G)

The return direction is the better documented of the two. SRTA’s schedule enquiry lists the following departures from Al Jubail Bus Station to Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station, with a scheduled journey time of 2 hours 40 minutes:

Departure (Al Jubail)	Arrival (Abu Dhabi Central)	Departure (Al Jubail)	Arrival (Abu Dhabi Central)
3:45am	6:25am	1:30pm	4:10pm
4:30am	7:10am	2:15pm	4:55pm
5:15am	7:55am	3:00pm	5:40pm
6:00am	8:40am	3:45pm	6:25pm
6:45am	9:25am	4:30pm	7:10pm
7:30am	10:10am	5:30pm	8:10pm
8:15am	10:55am	6:30pm	9:10pm
9:00am	11:40am	7:30pm	10:10pm
9:45am	12:25pm	8:30pm	11:10pm
10:30am	1:10pm	9:30pm	12:10am
11:15am	1:55pm	10:30pm	1:10am
12:00pm	2:40pm	11:30pm	2:10am (next day)
12:45pm	3:25pm

That is a bus every 45 minutes from 3:45am to 4:30pm, then hourly through the evening. The Sharjah to Abu Dhabi fare in the SRTA enquiry is AED 33 — note the direction difference. Several guides still quote AED 35 for this direction (and a round trip at AED 30 + AED 33 comes to AED 63). Carry AED 35 in cash so you are covered either way, and expect the counter price to be the enquiry fare.

Tickets and Payment: What Actually Works on Route 117

This is where most guides contradict each other — some say Sayer card, some say Hafilat, some say cash only — because no official source publishes a route-specific payment method for the 117. What is certain:

• Nol cards are not accepted. Nol is Dubai’s RTA card; the 117 is a Sharjah/Abu Dhabi service. Do not arrive expecting to tap a Nol card.
• Buy your ticket at the station. Tickets are sold at Abu Dhabi Central and Al Jubail before boarding. This is the method every source agrees on.
• Carry cash. Gulf News’ intercity guide describes the Abu Dhabi-bound fare as paid in cash, and station counters are the documented sales point. Whether a Sayer card (Sharjah) or Hafilat card (Abu Dhabi) reader is used on a given departure is not officially confirmed for this route — cash in small notes removes the doubt entirely.
• Keep your ticket until you alight; intercity tickets can be checked on board.

For help, SRTA’s customer care line is 600 525252 (info@srta.gov.ae), and Abu Dhabi Mobility lists the route on its official inter-emirates services page.

How to Take the Bus: Step by Step

1. In Abu Dhabi: go to Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station, next to Al Wahda Mall on Sultan Bin Zayed the First Street. Abu Dhabi city buses and taxis drop at the station; note the bus station is not at Zayed International Airport.
2. Buy your ticket at the counter for route 117 to Sharjah (AED 30) and confirm the next departure and bay.
3. Board at Al Jubail direction bay and keep your ticket handy. The ride takes about 2 hours 50 minutes.
4. In Sharjah: you arrive at Al Jubail Bus Station, the city’s main intercity terminal, from where SRTA city buses and taxis cover the rest of Sharjah.
5. Coming back: at Al Jubail, buy the Abu Dhabi ticket (AED 33 in the SRTA enquiry) and take any 117G from the timetable above — the first leaves at 3:45am and the last at 11:30pm.

The Alternative: Abu Dhabi to Sharjah via Dubai

If the 117’s timings do not suit you — or you are starting from Mussafah or the airport side of Abu Dhabi — the via-Dubai route runs far more frequently, because both legs are high-frequency RTA services:

1. Leg 1 — Abu Dhabi to Dubai (AED 25): take the E100 bus from Abu Dhabi Central to Al Ghubaiba, or the E101 to Ibn Battuta. See the full Dubai to Abu Dhabi bus guide for those timetables — this leg takes about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes and is paid by Nol card.
2. Leg 2 — Dubai to Sharjah: from Al Ghubaiba, the E306 runs to Al Jubail; from Union Square, the E303 bus also runs to Al Jubail (AED 12 in the RTA journey planner; some older guides list AED 10). Deira City Centre (E307) and Abu Hail (E307A) are further Dubai departure points — see our Dubai to Sharjah bus guide for all of them.

Budget about 3 hours end to end and AED 37 in total fares for the via-Dubai option, versus about 2 hours 50 minutes and AED 30–33 on the direct 117. The direct bus wins on price and simplicity; via Dubai wins on frequency and late-evening departures.

Tips for This Route

• Abu Dhabi Central is not your final address, and neither is Al Jubail — both are interchange stations. Plan your onward taxi or city bus (Hafilat in Abu Dhabi, Sayer in Sharjah) before you travel.
• Evening traffic into Sharjah is severe. The 117 crosses the Dubai–Sharjah commuter corridor; a 4–6pm departure can run well past its scheduled time. For a fixed appointment, take a morning bus.
• Route 118 also exists in Abu Dhabi Mobility’s AED 30 band from Abu Dhabi Main Bus Station, and some guides describe a 118 service between Al Ain and Sharjah. If the 117 is full or suspended on your day, ask at the counter about 118 departures.
• Arrive 15 minutes early — intercity buses board by ticket, and the popular early-morning departures from Al Jubail (3:45am–6:00am) fill with commuters.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Routes

• Dubai to Abu Dhabi Bus: E100, E101 & E102
• Dubai to Sharjah Bus: All Routes & Fares
• E303 Bus: Union Square to Sharjah Al Jubail
• E100 Bus: Al Ghubaiba to Abu Dhabi — full timetable