There are currently more than 70 bus routes servicing the main residential and commercial areas of Dubai. While all of the buses and most of the bus shelters are air-conditioned and modern, they do tend to be rather crowded. In conjunction with the unveiling of the Metro, the RTA is taking concrete steps to increase usage of the city's bus system, which now stands at roughly 6% of the population. Many of the bus stations now display better timetables and route maps and a host of double-deck and articulated buses have helped with the crowding problem.
The main bus stations are near the Gold Souk in Deira and on Al Ghubaiba Road in Bur Dubai. Buses run at regular intervals, starting between 05:00 and 06:00 and going until midnight or so, and a handful of Nightliner buses operate from 23:30 till 06:00. The front three rows of seats on all buses are reserved for women and children only. Cash is not accepted so you need to purchase a Nol card (see above) before boarding.
Buses also go further to Khawaneej, Al Awir, Hatta, and even Oman, for very reasonable prices – a one-way ticket to Hatta, which is 100 kilometres away, is Dhs.7, while Dubai to Muscat takes six hours and costs Dhs.50. The E1 service links Dubai and Abu Dhabi. From early morning to late at night, buses operate every 40 minutes between Al Ghubaiba and Abu Dhabi Central bus stations, and the two-hour journey costs Dhs.15 each way. There is also a service to and from Al Arouba Road and Al Wahda in Sharjah to both Bur Dubai and Deira, which runs every 10 minutes and costs Dhs.5. For a complete list of the RTA's inter-emirate routes, check the website (www.rta.ae).