Gold Souk Bus Station Dubai: Routes & Timings

Gold Souk Bus Station — RTA spells it Gold Souq Bus Station — is one of the largest bus stations in Dubai and the main terminus of Deira. It stands on Al Khaleej Road in Al Ras, directly outside Gold Souq Metro Station and a few steps from the Gold Souq market itself — it was moved here in July 2014 so the buses and the Green Line share one interchange. From its numbered bays, RTA buses fan out to Al Qusais, Dubai Mall, Al Quoz and Ibn Battuta — and the E306 to Sharjah calls here on its way through Deira.

This is the working heart of old Dubai: gold traders, souq porters, commuters and tourists all start their journeys from the same bays. This guide covers every route that uses the station, which buses start here and which only call, the timings, the abra dock a few minutes’ walk away, and the practical details — Nol payment, bay numbers, and the intercity buses some websites wrongly claim leave from here.

Gold Souk Bus Station Quick Facts

Detail	Information
Location	Al Khaleej Road, Al Ras, Deira, Dubai — directly outside Gold Souq Metro Station, beside the Gold Souq market, a short walk from Baniyas Road and the Creek
Operator	RTA Dubai (Roads and Transport Authority)
Station style	Full terminus with numbered departure bays (“Gold Souq Bus Station – 01” to “- 13”) — one of the largest bus stations in Dubai; relocated outside the Metro station in July 2014
Routes based here	4, 8, 10, 11A, 13, 13A, 13B, 13D, 27, 43, 53, 64, 64A, 91A, C4, C5, C28, X23 and X94 per current RTA route listings
Also calling	C1, C3, C18 and X13 at the station stops — plus the E306 to Sharjah, which calls here but starts at Al Ghubaiba
Intercity buses	None start here — the E306 (Sharjah Al Jubail) is the only one serving the station, as a calling stop
Nearest Metro	Gold Souq Metro Station, Green Line — about a 2-minute walk (called Palm Deira until May 2020). Al Ras and Baniyas Square are the next Green Line stations either side
Payment	Nol card only on buses — tap in and out. No cash on any RTA bus; the abra nearby is the exception, and takes cash
Service hours	First departures before 5 AM; most routes run until around midnight, and the 8 and the passing C1 run into the small hours

Routes from Gold Souk Bus Station

Routes Based at Gold Souq

Nineteen routes start at the Gold Souq bays per current RTA route listings — more than at any other Deira terminus. The headline routes:

Route	Destination	Good for
4	Rashidiya Metro Bus Parking	The Rashidiya link — via Muraqqabat, Abu Hail and Al Qiyadah to the Red Line
8	Ibn Battuta Metro Bus Stop	The marathon — 51 stops via Al Fahidi, Satwa and the Jumeirah beach road; about 80 minutes
10	Al Quoz Bus Station	To Al Quoz via Al Jafiliya and the Satwa side — about 41 minutes
13	Qusais — Dubai Municipality Staff Housing	The Qusais workhorse — via Muraqqabat, Al Nahda and Muhaisnah, from 4:50 AM
13A / 13B / 13D	Al Qusais Bus Station	Variants of the 13 corridor — the same Deira–Qusais run with different stopping patterns
27	The Dubai Mall	The visitor favourite — Deira to Downtown via Bur Dubai and Al Wasl Road
43	Dubai Festival City — Festival Centre	The Festival City run
53	International City — Civil Defence	Via Ras Al Khor and Al Warsan
64 / 64A	Ras Al Khor Terminus	Via Oud Metha and Al Jaddaf — the 64A is quicker
11A	Awir Terminus	The Al Awir run, out past Ras Al Khor
C5	Al Ghubaiba Bus Station	Deira to Bur Dubai’s terminus via Al Fahidi
C28	Mamzar Beach Park	The beach run — Deira to the Mamzar peninsula
X23	International City — France Cluster	The International City express, fewer stops than the 53
X94	Dubai Investment Park	The DIP express — the long run south-west
91A	Jebel Ali Bus Station	The Jebel Ali run, down the Sheikh Zayed Road corridor

Also based here is the C4, to Government Workshop in Al Jaddaf via Union, Bur Dubai and Oud Metha. Because RTA adjusts routings from time to time, confirm your route and bay in the S’hail app on the day.

Also Calling: C1, X13 — and the E306 to Sharjah

Several more routes serve the station stops without starting here. The C1 (Satwa to Airport Terminal 3) passes through the night — its departures from these stops begin in the small hours, around 3 AM — which is a large part of why this corner of Deira never fully sleeps. The X13 express calls on its way to Satwa, the C3 calls on the Karama–Abu Hail corridor, and the C18 calls towards Lamcy Plaza.

The one intercity bus here is the E306: it starts at Al Ghubaiba Bus Station in Bur Dubai, crosses Deira calling at the Gold Souq stops, and runs on via Al Qusais and Al Wahda Road to Al Jubail Bus Station in Sharjah, for a flat AED 12 by Nol card. Boarding here saves the trip to Al Ghubaiba — but the bus reaches Deira well into its journey and can arrive full.

A warning, because several Gold Souq guides get this wrong: no other intercity bus serves this station. There is no E307 to Sharjah, no E400 or E411 to Ajman and no E700 to Fujairah from these bays, whatever some websites list — those start at Union Square, Deira City Centre or Etisalat. The neighbouring terminus at Sabkha Bus Station, a short walk east, has its own intercity departures (the E303A to Sharjah and the E16 to Hatta).

Gold Souk Bus Station Timings

There is no single station timetable — every route keeps its own schedule — but Gold Souq wakes earlier than most. The first departures leave before 5 AM (the 13 is listed from 4:50 AM), the 8 runs from about 5 AM to about 1 AM, and the passing C1 keeps buses moving through the night. Most routes finish around midnight; frequencies are best in the peaks. Friday and holiday patterns differ. For live departures, check RTA‘s S’hail app rather than relying on any printed list.

The Abra near Gold Souq: Deira Old Souq Station

The station’s second transport link floats. Deira Old Souq Marine Transport Station sits on Baniyas Road by the Spice Souq, a few minutes’ walk south-east of the bus bays, and it is the Deira landing for the traditional wooden abras crossing to Bur Dubai. The crossing takes about five minutes, costs AED 1 per person in cash, and the boats run from around 5 AM until about midnight.

For bus passengers the abra is a working shortcut, not a tourist extra: it skips the Baniyas Road and bridge traffic entirely. Land on the Bur Dubai side and Al Fahidi and the Textile Souk are right there, with Al Ghubaiba Bus Station a short onward ride. The second Deira abra landing, Al Sabkha, is covered in our Sabkha Bus Station guide. One payment quirk: the abra is cash only, so keep coins handy.

How to Reach Gold Souk Bus Station

By Metro: Gold Souq Station, Two Minutes Away

The nearest Metro station is the station’s own: Gold Souq, on the Green Line, roughly a 2-minute walk from the bays — the bus station was deliberately relocated to sit outside it. Older maps and apps may still call it Palm Deira, its name until May 2020; it is the same station. Al Ras is one stop west, and for the Red Line, ride east via Baniyas Square to Union. The same Nol card covers your onward bus.

By Abra or Bus

From Bur Dubai, the AED 1 abra from Bur Dubai Abra Station lands at Deira Old Souq, a few minutes from the bays — the fastest way in at peak times. By bus, every route in the table above finishes here, and Sabkha terminus is under a 10-minute walk east along Baniyas Road.

By Taxi or Car

Taxis know the station as “Gold Souq Bus Station” or by its landmarks — the Gold Souq market and Gold Souq Metro Station on Al Khaleej Road. By car, approach via Al Khaleej Road or Baniyas Road, but be warned: this is some of Dubai’s most congested street space, and parking is scarce. Most passengers arrive by Metro, bus or abra.

Facilities and Tickets

Gold Souq is a proper terminus, not a street stop cluster — but it is an open, working one. Buses depart from numbered bays, which is why RTA stop names here run from “Gold Souq Bus Station – 01” to “- 13”, spread along the station. Check which bay your route uses in the S’hail app before you arrive, and wait at that bay: at peak times several routes load at once.

Payment is by Nol card only on every bus — city routes charge RTA’s standard zone fares (AED 3 within one zone, AED 5 across two zones and AED 7.50 across three or more), and the E306 is a flat AED 12. The big practical advantage over Deira’s street stops is next door: Gold Souq Metro Station sells and tops up Nol cards, two minutes from the bays. You can also top up online or in the Nol Pay app.

What the station lacks in terminal comforts, the district makes up for outside it. The Gold Souq itself — hundreds of gold and jewellery shops in one covered arcade — is immediately beside the bays, the Spice Souq and Perfume Souq are a few minutes’ walk towards Al Ras, and Naif’s lanes start just inland.

Travel Tips for Gold Souk Bus Station

• Fix your Nol card next door: Unlike Karama or Sabkha, this terminus has a Metro station two minutes away. Buy or top up your Nol card there before heading to the bays.
• Know your bay number: Bays – 01 to – 13 are spread along the station, and different routes load from different ends. Confirm yours in S’hail and wait there.
• The E306 calls — it does not start here: It begins at Al Ghubaiba and can arrive in Deira already busy. If S’hail shows a long wait, Union Square’s E303 leaves more often.
• Take the boat to Bur Dubai: The Deira Old Souq abra costs AED 1 in cash, crosses in about five minutes and beats every road route across the Creek at busy times.
• The 8 is a marathon: At about 80 minutes and 51 stops, the bus to Ibn Battuta is the scenic option, not the fast one. For speed, ride the Green Line to Union and change to the Red Line.
• Beat the Deira peak: Al Khaleej Road and Baniyas Road crawl in the evening peak, and buses sit in the same traffic. If your timing matters, the Green Line will get you further, faster.

Related Routes

• Al Ghubaiba Bus Station — Bur Dubai’s intercity interchange, and the C5’s other end
• Al Quoz Bus Station — route 10 from Gold Souq
• Sabkha Bus Station — Deira’s other terminus: E303A, E16 and the abra

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.