Did you know? You can board a bus free of cost to get to Expo 2020 Dubai and back. Special RTA buses called Expo Riders have been shuttling ticketholders to and from the site every day, and will continue to do so until March 31, 2022.
To catch these colour-coded shuttles, you can approach select bus stops in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. We tell you which routes are the right ones and the operating times for each so that you can plan ahead for your world fair trip.
If you decide to supplement your commute with the Dubai Metro or a private car, check out our detailed guides to help you out.
Catch the free Expo Rider bus from these stops
You have plenty of options with 21 intercity and Dubai bus stops in total. Each Expo Rider bus route takes you to one of the three gates of Expo – Sustainability, Opportunity or Mobility District. If you’re headed out from Ajman, for instance, the only Expo Rider bus running from the emirate will drop you off at the Opportunity gate.
For the free return trip, make sure to board the same bus from the same Expo Rider gate to get home. Note down the route number beforehand to avoid any hiccup; each bus is colour-coordinated according to its district: Opportunity is orange, Sustainability is green and Mobility blue.
Here are the shuttles and their respective pick-up and drop-off locations.
Note: Bus arrival and departure times differ from station to station.
Dubai
Fair ticketholders can take the Expo Rider buses from the following stations in Dubai:
1. Al Baraha Bus Station – Route 291
Buses from Al Baraha Bus Station in Deira go to Expo’s Sustainability gate at a frequency of 30 minutes. From Monday to Thursday, the first bus departs at 7.10am from the station; on Friday and Saturday at 7.40am; and on Sunday at 7.20am. From Monday to Friday, the last bus leaves the Sustainability Expo Rider gate at 1.30am (midnight), on Saturday at 1am Sunday at 3am.
Travel duration: 1 hour and 20 minutes
2. Al Ghubaiba Bus Station – Route 292
Buses from Al Ghubaiba Bus Station in Al Fahidi go to Expo’s Sustainability gate at a frequency of 15 minutes. On all days of the week, the first bus departs at 8.10am from the station. From Monday to Saturday, the last bus leaves the Sustainability Expo Rider gate at 2am (midnight), and on Thursdays and Fridays at 3.30am.
Travel duration: 1 hour and 20 minutes
3. Dubai Mall Expo Rider stop – Route 298
Buses from The Dubai Mall Expo Rider bus stop go to Expo’s Sustainability gate at a frequency of 30 minutes. On all days of the week, the first bus departs at 8.35am from the stop. From Saturday to Wednesday, the last bus leaves the Sustainability Expo Rider gate at 1.30am (midnight), on Friday at 2.30am and Sunday at 3.30am.
Travel duration: 55 minutes
4. Dubai International Airport, Terminal 3, Expo Rider stop – Route 391
Buses from Dubai International Airport, Terminal 3, Expo Rider stop go to Expo’s Mobility gate at a frequency of 20 minutes. On all days of the week, the first bus departs at 8.25am from the stop. From Monday to Friday, the last bus leaves the Mobility Expo Rider gate at 1.30am (midnight), on Saturday at 1am and Sunday at 3.30am.
Travel duration: 1 hour and 5 minutes
5. Dubai World Trade Centre, Novotel Hotel bus stop – Route 391
Buses from Dubai World Trade Centre, Novotel Hotel bus stop go to Expo’s Mobility gate at a frequency of 20 minutes. On all days of the week, the first bus departs at 8.40am from the stop. From Monday to Friday, the last bus leaves the Mobility Expo Rider gate at 2.15am (midnight), on Saturday 1.45am and Sunday at 4.15am.
Travel duration: 50 minutes
6. Etisalat Bus Station – Route 293
Buses from Etisalat Bus Station in Al Qusais go to Expo’s Sustainability gate at a frequency of 30 minutes. On all days of the week except Sunday (8.10am), the first bus departs at 8.25am from the station. From Monday to Thursday and Saturday, the last bus leaves the Sustainability Expo Rider gate at 2am (midnight), on Friday at 2.30am and on Sunday at 3.30am.
Travel duration: 1 hour and 5 minutes
7. Palm Jumeirah Expo Rider stop – Route 191
Buses from Palm Jumeirah Expo Rider stop go to Expo’s Opportunity gate at a frequency of 15 minutes. On all days of the week except Friday (9.21am), the first bus departs at 8.51am from the stop. From Monday to Thursday and Saturday, the last bus leaves the Opportunity Expo Rider gate at 1am (midnight), and on Friday at 1.30am and Sunday at 3.30am.
Travel duration: 39 minutes
8. Jumeirah Beach Residence 1, Landside bus stop – Route 191
Buses from Jumeirah Beach Residence 1, Landside bus stop go to Expo’s Opportunity gate at a frequency of 15 minutes. On all days of the week except Friday (9.31am), the first bus departs at 9.01am from the stop. From Monday to Thursday and Saturday, the last bus leaves the Opportunity Expo Rider gate at 1am (midnight), and on Friday at 1.30am and Sunday at 3.30am.
Travel duration: 29 minutes
9. Jumeirah Beach Residence 2, Landside bus stop – Route 191
Buses from Jumeirah Beach Residence 2, Landside bus stop go to Expo’s Opportunity gate at a frequency of 15 minutes. On all days of the week except Friday (9.35am), the first bus departs at 9.04am from the stop. From Monday to Thursday and Saturday, the last bus leaves the Opportunity Expo Rider gate at 1am (midnight), and on Friday at 1.30am and Sunday at 3.30am.
Travel duration: 25 minutes
10. International City Bus Station – Route 295
Buses from International City Bus Station go to Expo’s Sustainability gate at a frequency of 15 minutes. On all days of the week, the first bus departs at 8am from the station. From Monday to Friday, the last bus leaves the Sustainability Expo Rider gate at 1.30am (midnight), and on Saturday at 2am and Sunday at 3.30am.
Travel duration: 1 hour
11. Dubai Silicon Oasis Bus Station – Route 295
Buses from Dubai Silicon Oasis Bus Station go to Expo’s Sustainability gate at a frequency of 15 minutes. On all days of the week, the first bus departs at 8.25am from the station. From Monday to Friday, the last bus leaves the Sustainability Expo Rider gate at 1.30am (midnight), and on Saturday at 2am and Sunday at 3.30am.
Travel duration: 35 minutes
12. Global Village bus stop – Route 294
Buses from Global Village bus stop go to Expo’s Sustainability gate at a frequency of 60 minutes. On all days of the week, the first bus departs at 12.45pm from the stop, and the last bus leaves the Sustainability Expo Rider gate at 6.30pm.
Travel duration: 35 minutes
Abu Dhabi
All Expo Rider buses departing from the city of Abu Dhabi go to the Mobility District. Here are the three stations from where you can board them:
1. Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station – Route 313
Buses from Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station go to Expo’s Mobility gate at a frequency of 30 minutes. From Monday to Thursday, the first bus departs at 8.30am, and from Friday to Sunday at 8am from the station. On all days of the week, the last bus leaves the Mobility Expo Rider gate at 1am (midnight).
Travel duration: 1 hour and 50 minutes
2. Abu Dhabi International Airport Expo Rider stop – Route 311
Buses from Abu Dhabi International Airport Expo Rider stop go to Expo’s Mobility gate at a frequency of 30 minutes. On all days of the week except Friday and Saturday (8am), the first bus departs at 7.30am from the stop. From Monday to Saturday, the last bus leaves the Mobility Expo Rider gate at 1am (midnight), and on Sunday at 2.40am.
Travel duration: 1 hour and 24 minutes
3. Yas Mall Abu Dhabi Expo Rider stop – Route 312
Buses from Yas Mall Abu Dhabi Expo Rider stop go to Expo’s Mobility gate at a frequency of 30 minutes. From Monday to Thursday and Saturday, the first bus departs at 8.25am, and on Friday at 8.55am and Sunday at 8am from the stop. From Monday to Friday, the last bus leaves the Mobility Expo Rider gate at 1am (midnight), and on Saturday at 1.15am and Sunday at 2.30am.
Travel duration: 1 hour and 55 minutes
Al Ain
The city of Al Ain has one bus station that takes visitors to and from the Sustainability District.
1. Al Ain Bus Station – Route 221
Buses from Al Ain Bus Station go to Expo’s Sustainability gate at a frequency of 60 minutes. From Monday to Thursday and Friday, the first bus departs at 7.30am and on Sunday at 6.30am and Saturday at 7.15am from the station. From Monday to Thursday and Saturday, the last bus leaves the Sustainability Expo Rider gate at 1.30am (midnight), Friday at 1am and Sunday at 2.30am.
Travel duration: 2 hour and 15 minutes
Sharjah
Expo Rider buses from two Sharjah bus stations go to the Opportunity District.
1. Al Jubail Bus Station – Route 131
Buses from Al Jubail Bus Station go to Expo’s Opportunity gate at a frequency of 30 minutes. On all days of the week, the first bus departs at 8am from the station. From Monday to Saturday, the last bus leaves the Opportunity Expo Rider gate at 1am (midnight), and on Sunday at 3.30am.
Travel duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes
2. Al Muwailah Bus Station – Route 132
Buses from Al Muwailah Bus Station go to Expo’s Opportunity gate at a frequency of 30 minutes. On all days of the week except Sunday (7am), the first bus departs at 8.30am from the station. On all days of the week except Sunday (3am), the last bus leaves the Opportunity Expo Rider gate at 1am (midnight).
Travel duration: 1 hour and 9 minutes
Ajman
Buses heading to Expo 2020 Dubai for free from Ajman take visitors to the Opportunity District.
1. Ajman Expo Rider Central Bus Station – Route 151
Buses from Ajman Expo Rider Central Bus Station in Al Muntazi go to Expo’s Opportunity gate at a frequency of 60 minutes. From Monday to Thursday and Sunday, the first bus departs at 7.21am from the station, on Friday at 7am and Saturday at 9am. From Monday to Saturday, the last bus leaves the Opportunity Expo Rider gate at 1.30am (midnight) and on Sunday at 1am.
Travel duration: 2 hour and 15 minutes
Ras Al Khaimah
Expo Rider buses from Ras Al Khaimah go to the Opportunity District.
1. Ras Al Khaimah Bus Station – Route 151
Buses from Ras Al Khaimah Bus Station in Al Dhait South go to Expo’s Opportunity gate at a frequency of 60 minutes. From Monday to Thursday and Sunday, the first bus departs at 6.30am from the station, on Friday at 6.09am and Saturday at 8.09am. From Monday to Saturday, the last bus leaves the Opportunity Expo Rider gate at 1.30am (midnight) and on Sunday at 1am.
Travel duration: 2 hour and 21 minutes
Fujairah
Fujairah residents can take the free bus to Expo’s Sustainability District.
1. Fujairah City Centre Expo Rider stop – Route 271
Buses from Fujairah City Centre Expo Rider stop go to Expo’s Sustainability gate at a frequency of 180 minutes. On all days of the week, the first bus departs at 6.30am from the station, and the last bus leaves the Sustainability Expo Rider gate at 12.30am (midnight).
Travel duration: 2 hour and 25 minutes
