Deira City Centre Bus Station is the RTA bus station at City Centre Deira, one of Dubai’s oldest and busiest malls, in the Port Saeed side of Deira. It sits a few minutes’ walk from Deira City Centre Metro Station on the Red Line, and it does two jobs at once: it is the local bus hub for this corner of Deira, and it is the Dubai terminal of the E307 intercity bus to Sharjah. If you are crossing to Sharjah from the Red Line, or connecting from the Metro into Deira’s northern districts, this is the station you will use.
This guide covers the station itself: the E307 and how it compares with the other Sharjah buses, the city routes based here and the ones that call at the Metro stops beside it, how the Metro and mall connection works, where to sort out a Nol card, and the mistakes to avoid — including the guides that wrongly send the E307A from here instead of Abu Hail. Full timetables live in the linked route guides; here we keep timings to the summaries you need to pick the right stand.
| Deira City Centre Bus Station — Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Location | Port Saeed, Deira — at City Centre Deira mall, off Al Ittihad Road (E11) near Dubai Creek |
| Nearest Metro | Deira City Centre Metro Station — Red Line, a few minutes’ walk from the bus stands |
| Station type | RTA bus station and Metro interchange, with numbered, signposted departure stands |
| Intercity route | E307 to Sharjah (Al Jubail Bus Station) — AED 12 by Nol card |
| City routes based here | 22 (Al Nahda 1) · 88 (Dubai Internet City) · C15 (Hamriya Port & Mamzar loop) |
| Also calling nearby | 27 · 33 · 53 · 77 · C10 · X28 at the City Centre Metro bus stops |
| Payment | Nol card on all RTA buses — no cash. The full intercity fare is deducted when you tap in |
| First intercity bus | E307 to Sharjah from 6:10 AM on weekdays, 5:35 AM at weekends (check S’hail for the live board on the day) |
The Intercity Bus: E307 to Sharjah
The E307 bus is the reason most people search for this station. It links Deira City Centre with Al Jubail Bus Station, and with just nine stops in the Sharjah-bound direction it has the shortest stop list of any Dubai–Sharjah route — the bus crosses on Al Ittihad Road, then runs the length of Al Wahda Road and King Faisal Road to the terminal. The fare is a flat AED 12 by Nol card, buses run every 15–30 minutes (more often at the peaks), and the run takes about 30–50 minutes when the corridor is moving. From Deira City Centre, the first bus leaves at 6:10 AM on weekdays and the last at 12:20 AM the following night; at weekends the first bus is earlier, at 5:35 AM, and the last at 11:00 PM. From Al Jubail, Sharjah-bound commuters start earlier still — first bus 5:20 AM on weekdays, 5:00 AM at weekends. The full timetable and stop list are in our E307 route guide.
Choosing between the Sharjah buses is mostly about where in Dubai you are starting. The E307 is the one for Deira City Centre and the Red Line east of Union. For Union Square itself, the E303 leaves from Union Bus Station; for Bur Dubai, the E306 runs from Al Ghubaiba; and if your Sharjah destination is the University City side rather than Al Jubail, the E315 from Etisalat Bus Station — beside the Green Line terminus — goes to Muweilah instead. All four charge the same AED 12.
E307A: the Abu Hail bus — not from here
One confusion to clear up before you travel: the E307A does not leave from Deira City Centre. It is the E307’s sister route to the same Sharjah terminal, but its Dubai end is Abu Hail, beside Abu Hail Metro Station on the Green Line. It also costs AED 12 and also ends at Al Jubail, running every 20–30 minutes Monday to Saturday — but with a timetable trap: on Sundays it starts very late, at 11:16 AM from Abu Hail and 12:15 PM from Sharjah. If a guide tells you to catch the E307A here, it is wrong; from this station, the Sharjah bus is the E307, full stop.
City Buses from Deira City Centre
Between the Sharjah coaches, the station is the base for three RTA city routes:
| Route | Goes to | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Al Nahda 1 | The north Deira run through Abu Hail and the Al Qusais side |
| 88 | Dubai Internet City Metro Station | The long cross-city run via Al Wasl and Jumeirah — about 68 minutes end to end |
| C15 | Loop via Hamriya Port and Mamzar Beach Park | The circular CBD service for Hamriya, Abu Hail and the Mamzar coast |
More routes call at the City Centre Metro bus stops on the streets around the station and the Metro entrance — in practice the same interchange, a minute or two’s walk between stops. Per the RTA feed these include the 27 (Gold Souq to Dubai Mall), the 33 (Al Karama to Al Qusais), the 53 (Gold Souq to International City), the 77 (Baniyas Square to Al Garhoud, handy for the airport side), the C10 (Hamriya Port to Mercato in Jumeirah) and the X28 express (Lulu Village to Dubai Internet City). Stands and stop letters change from time to time, so check your exact stop in the S’hail app on the day.
All of these are standard RTA city buses: pay by tapping your Nol card in and out, at normal Dubai zone fares (AED 3 within one zone, AED 5 across two zones, AED 7.50 across three or more). One spelling quirk for the apps: RTA’s own stop names use the American spelling, “Deira City Center Bus Station”, for the same place.
The Metro and Mall Connection
The station only makes sense alongside the two landmarks it serves. Deira City Centre Metro Station is on the Red Line, between GGICO (for Al Garhoud) and Al Rigga, and it connects at Union and BurJuman with the Green Line. That is what turns one Sharjah coach into a network: a passenger from Al Jubail can step off the E307 and be at the airport, Festival City or anywhere on either Metro line without another change. The bus stands are a few minutes’ walk from the Metro station — follow the signs for buses as you leave, and allow a little extra time at the evening peak, when the mall crowds fill the walkways.
The mall itself is the other half of the interchange. City Centre Deira opened in 1995 and remains one of the city’s biggest shopping centres, so the station doubles as the bus stop for thousands of shoppers and mall staff every day. Everything a passenger might need — food, toilets, seating, air-conditioning — is inside the mall rather than the open-air station, and the stands are at their busiest when the mall is: late afternoons, evenings and weekends.
How to Reach Deira City Centre Bus Station
By Metro: this is the way most people arrive. Ride the Red Line to Deira City Centre and follow the signs for the bus station as you exit; the stands are a few minutes’ walk away, by the mall. Coming from the Green Line, change at Union or BurJuman.
By bus: the city routes in the table above terminate here, and the 27, 33, 53, 77, C10 and X28 call at the Metro stops beside the station. From Sharjah, of course, the E307 brings you straight here.
By car or taxi: the station sits just off Al Ittihad Road (E11), the Dubai–Sharjah highway, which is why the E307 can leave the city without crossing Deira’s local streets. Taxis know it as “City Centre Deira” or “Deira City Centre Metro”. The mall has large paid car parks; most bus passengers arrive by Metro instead.
Facilities and Tickets
The station is an open-air RTA interchange organised into numbered departure stands, each signed by route and destination — the RTA feed lists the stands as Deira City Center Bus Station 1 to 4 and beyond. With the E307, the city routes and the Metro-stop services all in the same small area, check the stand number for your route on the sign or in the S’hail app rather than joining the first queue you see: the E307 queue in particular looks just like every other queue here, and it is the one that leaves the emirate.
For tickets, everything runs through the Metro station and the mall. Nol cards are sold and topped up at Deira City Centre Metro Station — ticket office and vending machines — and you need the full intercity fare on your card before boarding the E307: AED 12, deducted when you tap in. There is no cash fallback on any RTA bus, so a card that is a few dirhams short means a trip back to the machines while your bus leaves. RTA‘s helpline is 800 90 90, and live departures for every route at the station are in the S’hail app.
Tips for Using Deira City Centre Bus Station
- From here, Sharjah means the E307. The E307A leaves from Abu Hail, the E303 from Union Square and the E315 from Etisalat — guides that list them as Deira City Centre departures are wrong, and following one costs you a wasted trip across Deira.
- Beat the Ittihad Road rush: the E307’s scheduled run is 30–50 minutes, but before 9:30 AM towards Dubai and after 4:30 PM towards Sharjah the corridor slows badly. Allow a full hour or more at those times, and board at the station rather than an intermediate stop if you need a seat.
- Mind the weekend pattern: Sharjah-bound commuters get an earlier start at weekends (first E307 at 5:35 AM) but an earlier finish (last bus 11:00 PM, not 12:20 AM). Check which pattern your day falls on before planning a late return.
- Top up before you queue. A Nol card under AED 12 is rejected at the E307 reader and there is no way to pay on board; top up at the Metro station first, and keep a buffer for the return journey.
- Do not rely on your Nol card inside Sharjah. The E307 ends at Al Jubail, but Sharjah’s local buses use the Sayer card, not Nol — carry cash for a taxi or onward ride if Al Jubail is not your final stop.
- Use the mall as your waiting room: the stands are open-air, so in summer heat or rain, wait inside City Centre Deira and walk out a few minutes before your bus is due — keep an eye on the board in S’hail.
Related Routes
- E307 Bus: Deira City Centre to Sharjah Al Jubail — Timings & Fare
- Union Bus Station Dubai: Routes & Timings
- Etisalat Bus Station Dubai: Routes & Fares
Where is Deira City Centre Bus Station located?
At City Centre Deira mall in Port Saeed, Deira, just off Al Ittihad Road (E11) and a few minutes’ walk from Deira City Centre Metro Station on the Red Line. It is on the airport side of Deira, not in the old Baniyas and Gold Souq quarter — for that side of Deira, Union Bus Station is closer.
Which buses leave from Deira City Centre Bus Station?
The intercity E307 to Sharjah’s Al Jubail Bus Station is based here, along with three city routes: the 22 to Al Nahda 1, the 88 to Dubai Internet City and the C15 loop via Hamriya Port and Mamzar Beach Park. More routes — the 27, 33, 53, 77, C10 and X28 — call at the City Centre Metro bus stops beside the station.
Is there a bus from Deira City Centre to Sharjah?
Yes — the E307 to Al Jubail Bus Station, AED 12 by Nol card, every 15–30 minutes. The first bus from Deira City Centre is at 6:10 AM on weekdays (5:35 AM at weekends) and the last at 12:20 AM on weekdays (11:00 PM at weekends). The run takes about 30–50 minutes outside the Ittihad Road peaks.
Does the E307A leave from Deira City Centre?
No. The E307A’s Dubai terminal is Abu Hail, beside Abu Hail Metro Station on the Green Line — it does not come here. It serves the same Sharjah terminal, Al Jubail, for the same AED 12 fare, but from this station your Sharjah bus is the E307. The E307A also starts very late on Sundays, so it is rarely the better fallback.
What is the nearest Metro station to Deira City Centre Bus Station?
Deira City Centre Metro Station itself, on the Red Line — the bus stands are a few minutes’ walk from the station exits, following the signs for buses. The Red Line connects with the Green Line at Union and BurJuman, and runs east to the airport terminals and Rashidiya (Centrepoint).
Can I buy a Nol card at Deira City Centre Bus Station?
Yes — Nol cards are sold and topped up at Deira City Centre Metro Station next door, at the ticket office and from vending machines. You need one before boarding any bus here, with at least AED 12 of balance for the E307 to Sharjah.
What time is the first bus from Deira City Centre Bus Station?
The first intercity departure is the E307 to Sharjah at 6:10 AM on weekdays and 5:35 AM on Saturdays and Sundays; from Al Jubail the first bus back is at 5:20 AM on weekdays. City buses from the station broadly follow Metro hours from the early morning — check the S’hail app for the first departure on your exact route and day.
Deira City Centre or Union Square — which station for Sharjah?
Both work, and both buses cost AED 12 and end at Al Jubail. Take the E307 from Deira City Centre if you are on the Red Line east of Union, near the airport or coming from the mall; take the E303 from Union Bus Station if you are in old Deira or on the Green Line. The E307 has fewer stops and is usually the quicker run when Al Ittihad Road is moving.
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.