Business Bay Bus Station: Routes, Timings, and Everything You Need to Know

Business Bay has two main RTA bus stations — Business Bay Bus Station (Metro Landside) and Business Bay Bus Station 2 on Marasi Drive — both directly linked to the Red Line metro. Key routes include feeder buses F14, F19A, F19B, F20, and F41, plus city routes 9, 26, 50, and express X22. All services are NOL card-only, with a daily fare cap of AED 14 for Silver card holders.

Most people who live or work in Business Bay default to the metro — and fair enough. But there’s a whole layer of the district’s transport network that gets overlooked: the bus system. For commuters moving between towers inside the district, connecting to areas the metro doesn’t reach, or simply trying to avoid a 15-minute walk from the station on a 40°C afternoon, the RTA bus is often the smarter call.

This guide covers everything you need to know about the Business Bay bus station — where it is, which routes stop there, when they run, what you’ll pay, and how to get the most out of the system as a daily commuter or first-time visitor.

The Station You’re Actually Looking For — and Where It Sits

Here’s something that trips up first-timers: there isn’t just one Business Bay bus station. There are two distinct stops, and knowing which one you need saves a lot of confusion on the ground.

Business Bay Bus Station / Metro Bus Stop Landside sits directly adjacent to Business Bay Metro Station off Sheikh Zayed Road. This is the interchange stop — the one you use when you’re arriving by metro and picking up a feeder bus into the district, or when you’re coming off a feeder and jumping onto the Red Line. It’s fast and functional: a 1-minute walk from the metro exit.

Business Bay Bus Station 2 is located on Marasi Drive, a short walk from Business Bay Metro Station Exit 2. This is the more substantial facility. The RTA designed it with four designated bus lay-bys, each assigned to specific routes, so there’s no guesswork about which bay your bus departs from. It also has digital real-time arrival displays, NOL card top-up machines, covered seating, bilingual signage in Arabic and English, and ramps and tactile floor pathways for passengers with special needs. This is the stop most residents and visitors will use most often.

For passengers travelling southbound along Sheikh Zayed Road, there’s also a Business Bay Seaside Metro Bus Stop on the opposite side of the main road.

How to find Business Bay Bus Stations: Both main stations are within a 1–3 minute walk of Business Bay Metro Station. By taxi or Careem, ask to be dropped on Marasi Drive for Business Bay 2. On foot from the metro, follow the exit signage — the landside stops are at ground level directly beneath the elevated metro track.

Operating Hours of Business Bay Bus Stations, When the Buses Actually Run

Business Bay bus station services run across a wide daily window, making them practical for early-morning commuters and late-night returners alike.

The earliest services begin from around 5:00–6:06 AM depending on the route — feeder buses typically begin slightly later than cross-city routes. The last departures extend to approximately midnight–1:00 AM on most routes, with some express services running a more restricted timetable that doesn’t cover the full day.

General operating pattern by day type:

Note: Business bay bus stations Timings shift during Ramadan and public holidays. The RTA S’hail app is the most reliable source for live departure times.

Accessibility: Business Bay Bus Station 2 is fully accessible, with ramps, tactile floor guidance, designated priority boarding areas, and reserved seating on all RTA buses for pregnant women, seniors, and passengers with special needs.

Bus Routes Serving Business Bay,The Full Picture of Business Bay Bus Stations

Business Bay is one of Dubai’s better-served districts for bus connections. The routes fall into two broad categories: feeder buses that circulate within the district and link to the metro, and city routes that extend into broader Dubai.

Feeder Routes: The Workhorses of Daily Commuting

These are the routes most residents and office workers rely on for getting between their building and the metro — and for short hops within Business Bay itself.

Route F14 — The District’s Main Circular

F14 is the most important bus in Business Bay Bus Stations. It operates as a circular route, beginning and ending at the Business Bay Metro Bus Stop Landside, looping through 18–19 stops across the district — including Bay Square, Empire Heights Towers, Executive Towers, and several commercial and residential clusters. The total circuit covers approximately 12.5 km and takes around 33–50 minutes to complete, depending on traffic. During peak hours (7–9 AM and 4–7 PM), F14 runs every 5–15 minutes, making it frequent enough to use without obsessively watching the clock. Off-peak intervals stretch to every 20–30 minutes.

Routes F19A and F19B — Internal Coverage

F19A and F19B serve the internal areas of Business Bay, covering towers and residential zones that F14 doesn’t reach on its circuit. Both routes follow a similar fare structure and operate daily. They’re particularly useful for commuters based deeper inside the district, away from Marasi Drive and the Sheikh Zayed Road edge.

Routes F20 and F41 — Additional Feeder Options

F20 and F41 round out the feeder network, ensuring most major towers and office clusters in Business Bay have at least one direct bus link to the metro station. F41 specifically connects the Business Bay Metro Bus Stop Landside to RBC Tower and back, serving the towers in that cluster.

City Routes: Going Further Than the Metro

Route 9 — Al Ghubaiba to Business Bay bus station Seaside

Route 9 is a longer urban service running between Al Ghubaiba Bus Station in Bur Dubai and the Business Bay Metro Bus Stop Seaside. With 21 stops along its route, it’s useful for commuters travelling from older parts of the city — Bur Dubai, Mankhool, Karama — into Business Bay without switching to the metro. The first bus departs around 5:00 AM; the last runs close to 1:00 AM. Fare: AED 4 with a NOL card. Frequency ranges from every 20 minutes during peak to around 58 minutes off-peak.

Route 26 — Oud Metha Connection

Route 26 connects Business Bay Bus Station 2 (Lay-by 04) with Oud Metha and the healthcare and commercial cluster along that road. It’s practical for commuters working around Wafi City and the surrounding area who’d rather take a direct bus than loop through the metro interchange.

Route 50 — International City Link

Route 50 provides a longer cross-city connection between Business Bay and International City in eastern Dubai. It’s one of the more useful routes for outer-city residents who work in Business Bay and want to avoid the driving cost and parking stress. Peak-hour frequency runs approximately every 15–20 minutes, with wider off-peak gaps.

Route 91 — Al Ghubaiba to Business Bay bus station (Northbound)

Following the August 2025 RTA network update, Route 91 now operates specifically in the northbound direction between Al Ghubaiba and Business Bay Metro Station. For the full Jebel Ali trip previously covered by Route 91, commuters should use the new X91 express service instead.

Route X22 — Express Service

X22 is an express route, meaning fewer stops and faster travel times than standard city buses. It operates primarily during peak commuting hours — it does not run continuously across the full day, so checking the schedule before you rely on it is essential. The fare is higher than feeder routes, reflecting the express pricing tier.

Timetable and Frequency Summary

Rather than listing every departure time — which changes seasonally and is most accurately checked via the S’hail app — here’s a practical frequency reference by route:

All times are approximate and subject to seasonal, Ramadan, and holiday adjustments. Always verify via the RTA S’hail app or by texting ‘D’ + your stop ID to 5223.

Fares, NOL Card, and the Transfer Perk You Shouldn’t Miss

Dubai buses don’t accept cash. Every journey — whether a two-stop feeder hop or a cross-city run — requires a NOL card. If you don’t have one, the first stop before boarding is a ticket vending machine at the metro station or Business Bay 2.

NOL Card Types in Business bay bus station

Silver NOL Card — The everyday commuter’s card. Costs AED 25 to purchase (includes AED 19 pre-loaded credit). Standard bus fares: AED 3 within one zone, AED 5 for two zones, AED 7.50 for three or more zones.

Gold NOL Card — Same purchase price as Silver, but grants access to the metro’s Gold Class cabin. Bus fares are double the Silver rate. Most useful for people commuting by metro who want the premium cabin; less practical as a bus-only card.

Blue NOL Card — For UAE national senior citizens, students, people of determination, and eligible registered residents. Offers 50% discount across all fares. Requires registration and supporting documentation.

Red NOL Ticket — Single-use paper ticket. Costs AED 2 plus the journey fare, making it slightly more expensive per trip than the Silver card. Practical for occasional visitors.

Fare Quick Reference

The 30-Minute Transfer Rule — The Saving Most Commuters Don’t Claim

This is the most underused feature of Dubai’s transport system, and it directly benefits anyone using Business Bay bus station to connect to the metro.

If you tap out of one mode of transport and tap into another within 30 minutes on the same NOL card, the system treats the whole thing as a single journey. Take the F14 feeder from inside Business Bay to the metro station, then board the Red Line — you pay for the combined zones of your total trip, not two separate fares.

Up to three transfers are allowed within one continuous journey. The maximum total journey window is 180 minutes. Beyond that, a new fare starts.

Daily fare cap: Silver and Blue NOL card holders pay a maximum of AED 14 per calendar day across all RTA transport — bus, metro, tram, and water bus. Once you hit the cap, every journey until midnight is free. For heavy daily users making three or more trips, this cap effectively makes afternoon and evening travel cost-free.

Bus-on-Demand: The Option Most People Don’t Know About

RTA’s Bus-on-Demand service is available in Business Bay, offering trips within the Business Bay zone for a flat AED 2 per person, plus an interzone route connecting Business Bay to Downtown Dubai. It operates more like a shared on-demand minibus than a fixed-route service — you book via the dedicated “Dubai Bus on Demand” app (iOS and Android), get assigned a pickup point nearby, and travel with other passengers heading in the same direction. Particularly useful during off-peak hours when scheduled feeder frequency drops off.

Major Stops and Coverage Areas

Understanding which stops fall on which routes helps you plan the first and last mile of any journey. Here’s a breakdown of what the Business Bay bus network covers:

Within Business Bay: Bay Square (multiple stops), Empire Heights Towers, Executive Towers, Majestic Tower, Marasi Drive residential cluster, Binary Tower, RBC Tower, and numerous commercial and hospitality towers along the district’s main roads.

Connections into neighbouring areas: Downtown Dubai (via Bus-on-Demand interzone route), Oud Metha (Route 26), Bur Dubai / Al Ghubaiba (Routes 9 and 91), International City (Route 50).

Water transport link: For passengers travelling along the Dubai Canal, the Godolphin Marine Transport Station is approximately a 17-minute walk from Business Bay Metro Station. The DC2 marine route operates between roughly 10:05 AM and 10:13 PM, connecting multiple canal stations. It doesn’t replace the bus for commuting, but it’s a genuinely pleasant option for leisure travel on the canal.

Best Practices for Commuters: How to Use This Network Well

Knowing the routes is one thing. Using the system efficiently day-to-day is another. These habits save both time and money:

Top up your NOL card before you need to. The worst time to discover your balance is empty is when the bus has just pulled up. Keep a buffer of AED 20–30 on the card. You can top up remotely via the S’hail app without visiting a machine.

Use S’hail, not just Google Maps. Google Maps is generally accurate for Dubai buses, but the official RTA S’hail app gives you real-time tracking, live arrival times, service alerts, and the ability to book Bus-on-Demand trips — all in one place. It’s the most reliable tool for day-to-day commuting.

For quick arrival times without the app: Text ‘D’ followed by your bus stop ID to 5223. You’ll receive an SMS with the next two or three arrivals at that stop. Stop ID numbers are printed on the signage at every RTA shelter in Business Bay.

Time your metro transfers. You have 30 minutes from tapping out of a bus to tapping into the metro for the fare to count as a single journey. Don’t stop for coffee in between — you’ll restart the fare clock and pay twice.

Avoid peak windows when possible. Peak commuting hours in Business Bay run 7:30–9:30 AM and 5:00–7:00 PM on weekdays. The F14 circuit gets noticeably crowded during these windows, particularly heading toward the metro at 8–9 AM. Even a 30-minute shift in your schedule makes a meaningful difference.

Know your lay-by at Business Bay 2. The station has four designated bays for different routes. Waiting at the wrong bay — which is easy to do if you’re unfamiliar — means watching your bus arrive and depart from 20 metres away. Check the bay assignment on the station displays when you arrive.

Plan ahead for Ramadan and public holidays. RTA adjusts its schedule during Ramadan: morning services typically start later, and evening frequency often increases to serve post-Iftar travel. The RTA website publishes the adjusted schedule before Ramadan begins each year.

Key Takeaways

Business Bay’s bus network is more frequent and more practical than most residents realise. The F14 feeder runs with enough regularity during peak hours to serve as a genuine daily commute option — not just a fallback when taxis are in short supply.

Two things worth internalising: the 30-minute transfer rule eliminates double-charging when you chain a feeder bus with the metro. And the AED 14 daily cap means heavy users effectively travel for free from their third or fourth journey of the day onward.

For commuters based deep inside Business Bay bus station, in towers a genuine 15-minute walk from the metro — the bus network converts the district from “metro-adjacent” into fully connected. Combined with the Bus-on-Demand option for off-peak flexibility, it’s a more complete system than it first appears.