The Abra is a traditional means of transport made from wood, and is used to ferry passengers across Dubai creek. The abra is an open sided wooden boat that has an awning overhead to protect you from the searing heat that can reach nearly 50 degrees.

The word abra translates in Arabic as ‘cross’, which is obvious when you think about the name ‘Water Abra’ meaning water cross or cross water. There are two types of abra, a motorised abra and the rowing abra, with the motorised abra being the most popular due to being plentiful in numbers and quicker across the creek.

With a capacity of 20 people per trip, there are 148 of these abra in operation which are regulated by the RTA, which run to and from the 2 stations on each side of the creek. Over 20 million passengers are transported across the creek annually on the 10 minute journey. The abra operation starts at 530am and finishes around midnight.

The Abras will not depart from their moorings until it is full to capacity. The cost is 1 dirham per person for the trip and it is polite to pay in coins or small note denomination. The Abra will fill up rapidly and you need to be sure that you are seated safely, as you will not be sitting in comfy seats; this is as basic as it gets, yet it is as traditional and tranquil enough, to be able to cross the creek whilst taking photographs of the stunning views, landmarks and scenery all around you.

The Abra routes operate from:

Deira Old Souk Station (Deira) to Bur Dubai Station (Bur Dubai) – in operation from 5 am to midnight.
Sabkha Station (Deira) to Dubai Old Souk Station (Bur Dubai) – in operation 24 hours a day.

There are 5 rowing abra in use that use a route between two main stations. Approximately 1300 people a month are transported by these abra. They operate from the Creek Park Station between 530am until midnight and from the Public Library Station between 10am and 6pm. The fare is one dirham per passenger per trip; however the rowing abra can be privately chartered for a fee of 30 dirham per hour. The capacity of the abra is 4 passengers maximum.

The best time to take an abra trip is early evening when the sun is setting, and when the lights of Dubai illuminate the creek with all different colours and the Dubai nightlife starts up. This is a fantastic time to take evening photographs of the Emirate cityscape and skyline.

Originally launched in August 2007, the water bus has become more popular particularly with the tourists of Dubai. Since its launch there are now nine water bus vessels managed by the RTA, which carry out regular routes through Dubai creek from the Shindagha area of Deira to Creekside Park.

The fare for each single trip is 2 dirham and is either paid by cash or using a Nol card, that can be preloaded or topped up at various customer service offices on the water bus route. This card can also be used on the Dubai Metro and on the water taxi service.

Each of the air conditioned water buses have a maximum capacity limit of 36 passengers, and provide a smooth and safe trip across Dubai Creek in comfort, on the well spaced luxury comfy seats. The space that is provided around each seat is very generous, which also allows accessibility for special needs people without any problems.

The panoramic windows provide a great view of your journey along the creek or you are able to view programmes on the LCD screen.

The five routes that are operational allow passengers to visit the tourist attractions found along the banks of the creek. Each of the eight stations along the route have a kiosk where you will be able to purchase newspapers, snacks, magazines as well as being able to top up your Nol smart card.

With the service operating between the hours of 7am until 11pm, you will generally only have to wait 10 minutes until the next bus arrives. Two years after its launch in December 2009, the monthly figures produces showed the popularity and success of the water bus with over 45,000 passengers being transported on just under 11,000 trips.

With over 332 million passengers transported during the year of 2010, the water bus transport accounts for a small percentage of this figure, however this is on the increase with many other modes of marine transport available.

A massive amount of bus schedules are run by the RTA. 734 bus schedules served by 79 bus routes, provide the public with the transportation needed to cope with the daily demands of the passengers needs in Dubai. The operation transports in excess of 250,000 passengers a day. The RTA alters the bus routes and number of buses on Fridays and public holidays to suit the passenger demands.

The bus fleet in Dubai consists of executive custom built vehicles, constructed with individual seats, computerised fare equipment and GPS destination screens. There are a number of varied types of buses, with majority of the fleet having a capacity limit of 61 seats with 10 of them standing spaces. The bus operation in Dubai consists of over 1800 individual bus stops in Dubai, which combines over 1300 passenger shelters and 500 non shelter bus stops

Covering the 4,110 km of Dubai is a huge task, which is however easily managed by the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), with great success. The RTA is a huge organisation that is ready to adapt to any situation. Controlling the congestion on the roads is always at the forefront of the RTA’s mind, with continual progression of more up to date and modern transport means being regularly assessed. As well as providing buses to serve the needs of the public, the RTA have invested heavily into water based public transport which is not only quick and cheap, it is gradually taking more and more traffic from the roads to the creek.

The most recent transport initiative is the futuristic Super bus, that will travel between Abu Dhabi and Dubai at 250kmh over super track made of concrete roads.

The all electronic bus will create no traffic fumes and is extremely environmentally friendly, and at 15meters long and 2.5meters wide, the lightweight vehicle will make a normally long journey both quicker and more comfy than current means, the journey should take just 30 minutes, compared to the normal 90-120 minutes.

Made of light composites such as aluminium, carbon fibre, fibreglass and polycarbonate, this vehicle will weigh a fairly light 9.5tons, in comparison to the usual buses operated on this route to Abu Dhabi and has a capacity of just 23 passengers.  The super bus looks more like a futuristic stretched limousine than a bus.