Sharjah to Dubai by bus, without the guesswork.

Is there a bus from Dubai to Sharjah?

Yes, and quite a few. Intercity buses run between Dubai’s main bus stations and Sharjah through most of the day. In Sharjah, most of them use Al Jubail bus station, close to the Corniche and the old town. For one person going from station to station, the bus costs a fraction of a taxi.

It gets harder at the edges. Rush hour, early and late shifts, people who live a long walk from a stop, and groups all push the bus past what it does well. This guide covers the public options properly first, then the point at which a private bus is worth paying for.

How the intercity bus works

In Dubai, the Sharjah buses leave from several stations; Al Ghubaiba in Bur Dubai and Union in Deira are the best known. Route numbers change now and then. Look up your journey in RTA’s S’hail journey planner rather than trusting a number someone gave you last year.

On RTA buses you pay with a Nol card, so top it up at a metro or bus station before you travel. Sharjah’s own buses are run by SRTA, the Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority, which publishes routes, fares and timetables on its website and app. That is also the place for Sharjah bus information on routes inside the city.

Outside the rush hour the ride takes around 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the stations. Before your first trip, check:

• which Dubai station your route leaves from, and where it stops in Sharjah
• the first and last buses, especially if you work shifts
• the fare and how to pay it
• how often buses run at the hour you travel

Other ways across

No metro line crosses into Sharjah. The Dubai Metro Green Line ends in Al Qusais, near the border, and some commuters ride it that far and finish by bus or taxi.

RTA has also run a ferry between Al Ghubaiba in Bur Dubai and the Aquarium marine station in Sharjah. Check whether it is operating, and when, before you plan around it.

Taxis cross in both directions on the meter, with an extra charge when the trip ends in the other emirate. At peak times you are paying to sit in the same traffic as the bus.

The commute: what rush hour does to the bus

The road between Sharjah and Dubai is one of the busiest commutes in the country. Weekday mornings are heavy towards Dubai, roughly from 6:30 to 9:30, and evenings are heavy the other way, from about 17:00 to 20:00. The bus sits in the same queues on Al Ittihad Road as everyone else. A 40-minute ride can take 90 minutes or more.

If you commute by bus, a few habits help. Travel before 7:00 or after 9:30 if your hours allow. Board at the first stop on the route to get a seat. Keep the Nol card topped up so a low balance doesn’t cost you the bus, and check the app before you leave home rather than at the stop.

When a company should run its own staff bus

For an employer, public transport is only as good as its worst day of the month. When ten people in one team commute from Sharjah, late arrivals and tired staff become a real cost. The bus also doesn’t run to suit a hospital shift that starts at 6:00 or a warehouse that finishes at midnight.

A company staff bus fixes the timetable to your shifts instead. Our Sharjah to Dubai staff transport starts from AED 4,800 per month for a 12 to 15 seat van doing a daily return run with driver and fuel. The typical market range is AED 5,000 to 6,500 per month.

Example: 14 staff share that van over 22 working days. AED 4,800 divided by 14 is about AED 343 per person per month, or about AED 16 per person per working day, both directions. Put that next to two bus fares a day, the walk to the stop and the late starts, then decide. Routes from other emirates work the same way; see staff transport.

Groups making a one-off trip

This is a different problem. A Sharjah school class off to a museum in Dubai, a family going to a wedding, a club heading to an event at Dubai World Trade Centre. On public transport that means a change of station, a crowded bus and a headcount at every stop. With a private bus it is one pick-up and one drop-off.

Example: 30 students and three teachers from Sharjah to the Dubai Frame. That is 33 people, so a 35-seater coach rather than a 30-seater. Our 35-seater starts from AED 600 per day for a full day within Dubai, and the Sharjah pick-up is priced into the written quote. The school trip transport guide covers the planning, and bus rental in Sharjah covers other trips from Sharjah.

Who should use what

If you fit the last two rows, send the date, headcount and pick-up point through the booking form for a written quote.

Going the other way: Dubai to Sharjah

How do you go to Sharjah from Dubai by bus? Take the same routes in reverse. Get a Nol card with enough credit, go to Al Ghubaiba or Union bus station, take a Sharjah bus and get off at Al Jubail. From there, Sharjah city buses and taxis cover the rest of the city. In this direction the evening rush is the slow one, so a 17:30 bus to Sharjah is the one to avoid if you can.

Arriving by air instead? Our guide to the Sharjah airport taxi compares the taxi rank with a pre-booked transfer.

Related: Sharjah to Dubai staff transport · Bus rental Sharjah · Sharjah Airport taxi vs transfer · Staff Transport · Get a quote

Keep reading

• Bus rental Sharjah: Vans, minibuses and 30 to 50-seat coaches with drivers, collecting from anywhere in Sharjah.
• Sharjah to Dubai staff transport: Daily staff routes from Sharjah and Ajman into Dubai, on a fixed monthly timetable with a regular driver.
• Sharjah Airport transfers: Arrival pick-ups and departures at Sharjah International for groups, in vans, minibuses and coaches.
• Sharjah to Abu Dhabi: A private van, minibus or coach between Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, including Sharjah Airport transfers in both directions.
• Sharjah Airport taxi vs transfer: How Sharjah Airport taxi fares build up, how many cars a group really needs, and when a van or coach is the better buy.
• Car with driver Sharjah: An executive car, a 7-seater SUV or a Mercedes V-Class with a driver, for site visits, airport runs and family days in Sharjah and the north.