Shahama Bus Station is the bus interchange for the Shahama corridor in northern Abu Dhabi — Al Shahama, Al Bahia (Al Bahyah) and Al Rahba, strung along the E11 Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Road, the highway to Dubai. Abu Dhabi Mobility’s route documents name its terminus stop “Al Bahyah, Al Sinad St / Al Shahama Bus Station”: where the corridor’s regional buses start, and close to where the RTA’s Dubai buses call at their Shahama Village stop. For residents of these villa districts, far beyond the Darb toll bridges, this interchange is the start of almost every bus journey.
This guide covers the station itself: its routes, the local buses through Shahama’s streets, the honest position on the Dubai buses, timings, facilities, and the Hafilat payment rules. Full timetables live in the Darbi app; here we keep timings to the patterns you need.
| Shahama Bus Station — Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Location | Al Sinad Street, Al Bahyah (Al Shahama New), Abu Dhabi — just off the E11 Abu Dhabi–Dubai highway |
| Operator | Abu Dhabi Mobility (formerly the Integrated Transport Centre, ITC) |
| Routes starting here | 210 to Dalma Mall · 216 to MBZ City Bus Station (Mussafah) · A40 to Baniyas West |
| City routes | 201 from Al Bahia to Abu Dhabi Central · 202 from Al Rahba Hospital to Abu Dhabi Central |
| Dubai buses | RTA E100 and E101 call at the Shahama Village stop on the highway corridor — see the Dubai section below |
| Payment | Hafilat card on all Abu Dhabi Mobility buses — no cash, Nol NOT accepted. The Dubai buses are the exception: Nol card only |
| Distance to Abu Dhabi Central | 40 km — 45–60 minutes by bus, depending on traffic |
| Help | Abu Dhabi Mobility support 800 850 · Darbi app for live times |
Routes from Shahama Bus Station
Routes 210 and 216: to Mussafah and Dalma Mall
The station’s two longest local services both run south towards Mussafah — but to different ends of it. The 210 is the through route: from the terminus here it runs via the station area at Mussafah Bus Station and on to Dalma Mall at the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi (ICAD), passing the Al Rahba Hospital and Emirates Driving School side of the corridor. It is a long ride end to end, so allow the best part of an hour or more.
The 216 is the shorter Mussafah link: Shahama to MBZ City Bus Station — the same interchange as Mussafah Bus Station, at the Mazyad Mall end of the Shabiya districts. Change there for the city routes, the A10 airport bus and the E102 to Dubai. The Shabiya districts at that end of the ride are covered in our Shabiya Bus Station guide.
Route A40: to Baniyas West
The A40 runs east from the station to Baniyas West Bus Station, across the northern suburbs — the direct link between the Shahama corridor and the Baniyas side of the mainland. For trips towards Baniyas and the workers’ cities, it saves a long detour through Mussafah or the city.
Routes 201 and 202: straight into Abu Dhabi city
Two regional routes tie the corridor directly to Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station. The 201 starts in Al Bahia — its terminus stop is at Shuhadah Badar Mosque on Al Sa’ay Street — and calls at the station stop on Al Bahyah Street on its way into the city. The 202 starts a few minutes north at Al Rahba Hospital (Al Yaseer Street) and runs down the corridor into Abu Dhabi Bus Station. Between them they give Shahama and Al Rahba a direct city service without changing at Mussafah; the ride to the centre takes roughly 45 minutes to an hour. Transit listings also show a 203 (Abu Dhabi Bus Station – BAPS Temple) calling at the station stop — check Darbi for its current pattern before relying on it.
Local buses through Shahama’s streets
Beyond the station routes, neighbourhood services thread through Shahama and Al Bahia’s streets, using stops such as St 13 / Bus Depot, St 13 / Shahama Souq and St 13 / Adib near the station:
| Route | Goes to | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| 222 | Al Shahama (St 23 / Osama Bin Zaid Mosque) ↔ Al Bahya Central Mosque | The local loop linking Shahama and Al Bahia’s streets |
| 218 | Abattoir ↔ Al Raha Mall | The E11-corridor service towards Al Raha and the airport side |
| 225 | Towards Al Bahia and Emirates Park Zoo | The zoo run — a popular family trip from the corridor |
| 240 | Towards LifeCare Hospital (Al Mafraq side) | Hospital and workers-city trips east of Shahama |
| 420 | Shakhbout City ↔ Al Mafraq Workers City (LifeCare Hospital) | The cross-corridor link through the Shahama side |
Neighbourhood routes run less frequently than the station’s regional services — treat the table as the map of what exists, and confirm your exact bus in Darbi on the day.
The Dubai Buses: E100 and E101 at Shahama Village
Shahama is the one Abu Dhabi suburb the Dubai buses genuinely serve — but be precise about where. The RTA’s E100 (Al Ghubaiba, Dubai) and E101 (Ibn Battuta, Dubai) both list “Abu Dhabi, Shahama Village” as a scheduled stop: one of only four stops on each route, alongside Samha and the two termini. The stop the timetable means is the Shahama Village stop on the highway corridor — the Dubai buses run the E11 and do not divert into the Al Sinad Street station, so allow a short local bus or taxi hop between the two, and check the exact stop position in the S’hail app or Darbi before you travel.
The pattern works in your favour both ways. Coming from Dubai, Shahama Village is the last stop before Abu Dhabi Central — about 35 minutes out of the city terminus on the published timetable. Heading to Dubai, the same stop puts you roughly an hour from Ibn Battuta in free-flowing traffic. The fare is the standard intercity flat rate of AED 25, paid by Nol card only — these are RTA buses, so your Hafilat card will not work on them. All three Abu Dhabi–Dubai routes are compared in our Dubai to Abu Dhabi bus guide, and Abu Dhabi Mobility lists the services among its inter-emirates services.
Shahama Bus Station Timings
Every route keeps its own timetable, but the station’s rhythm is easy to read. The first buses through the Shahama stops leave from around 5:25–5:30 AM — the 210 is among the earliest — services peak with the morning commute into the city, and the last buses on the neighbourhood routes run to around midnight. Friday and public-holiday timetables differ, and the thinner local routes (222, 225) can have long midday gaps — check your exact departure in the Darbi app.
How to Reach Shahama Bus Station
By bus from Abu Dhabi city: take the 201 towards Al Bahia or the 202 towards Al Rahba Hospital from Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station. From Mussafah and Dalma Mall, the 210 runs north to the station; from MBZ City, take the 216. From Dubai, ride the E100 or E101 to the Shahama Village stop and finish the short hop to the station by local bus or taxi.
By car — the park-and-ride suburb: Shahama has been a commuter park-and-ride location since the Darb toll era began: when Abu Dhabi’s Park & Ride scheme launched in January 2021, Al Shahama was one of its two original sites, with around 500 dedicated spaces and free shuttle buses into the city. The shuttle arrangements have been adjusted since, so check Darbi or Abu Dhabi Mobility for the current position before planning around it — but the logic still holds: park out here, and let the 201 or 202 do the Maqta Bridge run.
By taxi: taxis serve the station and the Deerfields Mall side of Al Bahia, and are the practical option late at night. Give the driver “Al Shahama Bus Station, Al Sinad Street” — the corridor has several similarly named stops.
Facilities and Tickets
Shahama is a working suburban interchange rather than a landmark terminal: expect departure stands organised by route, sheltered waiting and timetable information, with the shops of Al Shahama and Al Bahia — and Deerfields Mall a short ride away — covering food and errands.
For the Hafilat card itself, do not count on a sales office at a suburban station: cards are sold at Abu Dhabi Central and the other main stations, at recharge machines and at partner outlets such as Lulu and SPAR. If you arrive from Dubai on an E-bus with only a Nol card, buy your Hafilat before you need a local bus — cash is not accepted on board.
Hafilat vs Nol: Paying at Shahama
Two systems meet on this corridor, and mixing them up is the most common mistake here. Every Abu Dhabi Mobility bus — the 210, 216, A40, 201, 202 and the local routes — is paid with a Hafilat card. Cash is not accepted on board, and your Dubai Nol card will not work. An anonymous Hafilat card costs AED 10. Fares are distance-based: AED 2 boarding plus 5 fils per kilometre, capped at AED 5 for journeys over 60 km — so the Shahama-to-city ride on the 201 or 202 works out at roughly AED 4 by the formula. 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 AED 2 boarding fee, and children aged 10 and below travel free.
The Dubai buses are the opposite: the E100 and E101 are RTA services, so they take Nol card only — Hafilat will not work on them — and the flat AED 25 is deducted at tap-in. If your journey mixes the two — a local bus to the Shahama Village stop, then an E-bus to Dubai — you need both cards.
Tips for Using Shahama Bus Station
- Do not confuse the two “Shahama” stops: the local interchange is on Al Sinad Street in Al Bahyah; the Dubai buses use the Shahama Village stop on the highway corridor. They are close, but not the same stop — check which one your bus uses.
- Carry both cards: Hafilat for Abu Dhabi buses, Nol for the E100 and E101. Neither card works on the other system’s buses, and there is no cash fallback on the standard services.
- Use the corridor routes, not the city detour: the 210 and 216 reach Mussafah and Dalma Mall directly from here — riding into Abu Dhabi Central and back out adds the best part of an hour.
- Beat the bridge peak: the 201 and 202 cross into the city with the morning flow, and journey times stretch hard between roughly 6:30 and 8:30 AM. Leave a buffer if you have a connection at Abu Dhabi Central.
- Check the thin routes in Darbi: the 222 and 225 can have long midday gaps. The station routes are frequent; the neighbourhood loops are not.
- Tap out, every time: Abu Dhabi fares are calculated on tap-out. A forgotten tap-out means the maximum fare, deducted on your next trip.
Where is Shahama Bus Station located?
On Al Sinad Street in Al Bahyah (Al Shahama New), in the Shahama corridor of northern Abu Dhabi, just off the E11 highway to Dubai. Abu Dhabi Mobility’s route documents list the terminus as “Al Bahyah, Al Sinad St / Al Shahama Bus Station”. It serves Al Shahama, Al Bahia and Al Rahba, roughly 40 km from Abu Dhabi Central.
Which buses start from Shahama Bus Station?
Three Abu Dhabi Mobility regional routes use the station as their terminus: the 210 to Dalma Mall via Mussafah, the 216 to MBZ City Bus Station (the Mussafah interchange) and the A40 to Baniyas West Bus Station. The 201 to Abu Dhabi Central also calls at the station stop, and local routes such as the 222 thread through Shahama’s streets.
Is there a bus from Shahama to Dubai?
Yes — the RTA’s E100 (to Al Ghubaiba) and E101 (to Ibn Battuta) both list Shahama Village as a scheduled stop, one of only four stops on each route. Note that they use the Shahama Village stop on the highway corridor, not the Al Sinad Street station itself. The fare is a flat AED 25 by Nol card; all the Abu Dhabi–Dubai options are compared in our Dubai to Abu Dhabi bus guide.
How do I get from Shahama to Abu Dhabi city centre?
Take the 201 (from Al Bahia, calling at the station stop) or the 202 (from Al Rahba Hospital, just north of Shahama). The ride takes roughly 45 minutes to an hour, and costs roughly AED 4 on a Hafilat card.
Can I use a Nol card on buses from Shahama Bus Station?
Only on the Dubai buses — the E100 and E101 are RTA services and take Nol only. Abu Dhabi Mobility’s own buses from the station (210, 216, A40, 201, 202 and the local routes) take the Hafilat card, not Nol, and do not accept cash on board.
How do I get from Shahama Bus Station to Mussafah or Dalma Mall?
Two direct routes: the 210 runs from the station via the Mussafah interchange to Dalma Mall at ICAD, and the 216 runs to MBZ City Bus Station — the same interchange, covered in our Mussafah Bus Station guide. Both are paid by Hafilat card.
What time is the first and last bus from Shahama Bus Station?
The first buses leave from around 5:25–5:30 AM — the 210 among the earliest — and the last neighbourhood buses run to around midnight. Friday and holiday timetables differ; check Darbi for your route and day.
Is Shahama a park-and-ride location for Abu Dhabi?
It was one of the original two: when Abu Dhabi’s Park & Ride scheme launched in January 2021 alongside the Darb tolls, Al Shahama offered around 500 dedicated spaces with free shuttle buses into the city. The arrangements have been adjusted since, so check Darbi for the current position — the 201 and 202 serve the station either way.
Related Routes
- Mussafah Bus Station Abu Dhabi: Routes & Timings
- Shabiya Bus Station Abu Dhabi: Routes & Timings
- Dubai to Abu Dhabi Bus — all routes compared
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.