Abu Dhabi to Dubai by Bus: The AED 35 Airport Express and the E101 Back

Abu Dhabi and Dubai are about 140 km apart, and the public transport between them works well — it is just run by two different organisations. The service leaving Abu Dhabi Airport is an airport express, and the one leaving Dubai is an RTA intercity bus. The fares, the payment methods and the boarding points all differ, which is exactly how first-timers end up circling a bus station.

This guide follows the author's real itinerary: the express from Abu Dhabi Airport to Ibn Battuta, then the E101 from Dubai back to Abu Dhabi city. Treated as two separate journeys, both are straightforward.

1. The two routes at a glance

The difference is not only price. The airport express is point to point, with no intermediate stops, while the E101 runs on the intercity highway and picks up along the way, which is why it takes longer. With heavy bags and a tight schedule, the express is the easier option; to save money, the E101 is AED 10 cheaper but requires a Nol card first.

2. From Abu Dhabi Airport to Dubai: buy at Gate 7

After landing at Zayed International Airport and collecting your bags, follow the Buses signs in the arrivals hall to Gate 7. Outside and to the right is the express ticket desk, with a green Shuttle Bus Service sign above it and the route spelled out below:

Between Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai & Zayed International Airport – Terminal A 35 AED one way · Every hour · Every day · Abu Dhabi to Dubai · Dubai to Abu Dhabi

You can pay cash or by card, and no transport card is needed — the easiest part of the whole trip. The ticket is paper with the departure time printed on it: Service Type: PREMIUM, an on-the-hour departure, and the direction Zayed International Airport → Ibn Battuta. Keep it handy, as the driver may check.

The bus leaves from the stand just outside Gate 7: a green Volvo coach with Zayed International Airport Express along its side. Departures are on the hour, so be at the stand ten minutes early, drop bags in the hold and find a seat.

In practice: no intermediate stops, and with clear roads the run to Ibn Battuta took 1 h 5 min, faster than expected. The coach was not crowded, there are USB sockets, and the route passes the area around the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque — a window seat is worth having.

3. Back from Dubai: the E101 and a Nol card

The return is a different process. Take the Dubai metro Red Line to Ibn Battuta Metro Station, leave by exit 1, and the Ibn Battuta bus station is in front of you. Blue signs on the platforms point to the ticket machine, customer waiting area, toilets, customer happiness desk and Dubai Metro.

Look for the red bus marked E101 / Abu Dhabi and join the queue. It is run by Dubai's RTA, so the rules match Dubai city buses:

• Nol card only — no cash, and no buying a ticket on board;
• the card needs at least AED 25 of balance, or it will not validate;
• tap once on boarding and once on alighting, with the fare charged by zone.

Nol cards are sold at every Dubai metro station; the silver card is AED 25 (AED 6 card fee plus AED 19 balance). If you plan to take the E101 back to Abu Dhabi, buy the card on your first day in Dubai, not on the morning of departure.

The E101 runs about every 20 minutes and takes roughly 1 h 50 min to Abu Dhabi Main Bus Terminal. It stops along the way, so watch your stop; from the terminal you can change onto Abu Dhabi city buses for the rest of the city.

4. The Hafilat card for Abu Dhabi city buses

In Abu Dhabi the city buses use a different system, the Hafilat card. The ITC desk on the right of the arrivals hall at Zayed Airport issues a free silver card (30-day validity, minimum AED 10 top-up), or a green card for a AED 10 fee with 16 years' validity but a non-refundable balance.

Note the two directions on that pillar: Abu Dhabi Bus for city services, Dubai Bus for the long-distance coach — they do not leave from the same stand. For a connection or a same-day return the silver card is enough; a small tax is deducted when you top up (travellers have seen AED 3 taken from a AED 30 payment), so leave a little headroom.

5. Time and money, added up

For "land at Abu Dhabi Airport → central Dubai", the two legs combine like this:

The other way, from central Dubai to central Abu Dhabi: metro to Ibn Battuta (about 40 minutes) plus the E101 (about 1 h 50 min), so roughly 2.5 hours and AED 25 plus the metro fare.

If time is tight and the bags are heavy, a taxi or private transfer is an alternative: Abu Dhabi to Dubai is about AED 250–350 one way, roughly 1 h 20 min on the E11 motorway, and split between two or three people the gap with the coach is smaller than it looks.

6. Practical notes

• On the hour: the airport express leaves hourly on the hour, and a miss costs a full hour — check the time before deciding to store your bags.
• Keep the ticket: the paper ticket carries the departure time and may be checked; the return trip needs its own ticket.
• Nol balance: the E101 needs AED 25, so top up at the station if you are down to the last few dirhams.
• Luggage: both services have holds and do not charge extra for large bags, but keep valuables with you.
• At night: the express runs around the clock, while the E101 thins out overnight — check the last departure for a late crossing.
• No border formalities: there is no checkpoint between the emirates, though there are occasional roadside checks, so carry your passport.

Fares, frequencies and desk locations come from operator publications and the author's own notes (photographed in February 2026); prices and timetables change, so confirm at the desk or on the official sites before travelling.

Related links

• On this site: Zayed International Airport (AUH), Dubai International Airport (DXB), United Arab Emirates (AE)
• Wikipedia: Abu Dhabi, Dubai Metro
• Baidu Baike: Abu Dhabi
• Airport website: Zayed International Airport
• Dubai buses: Dubai RTA
• Abu Dhabi buses: Abu Dhabi ITC
• Original post: Xiaohongshu @Li

Image source: the author's photographs. Fares and frequencies are as posted at the desks when the photos were taken and may change.