A dedicated service provided by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority allows you to swiftly receive the arrival times for the buses at your station by SMS if you need to get to work quickly and don’t want to miss the bus (RTA).
The Wojhati service, an RTA service that offers timetables of public transportation routes, allows commuters to access real-time information about bus timings through the SMS service, which was introduced by the RTA in 2012.
If you have the bus stop ID with you, you can view the schedule of the buses that are due to arrive at the stop even though the bus timetable for Dubai is available at the bus stops. If you don’t have internet connectivity, you can still use the RTA’s S’hail app to plan your trip using the most recent schedules for public transportation.
1. Make a note of the bus stop IDs of the bus stops you use
If you frequently take the bus from a stop close to your house and place of business, make a note of the stop IDs. The sign board next to the bus stand is where you may locate the bus stop ID. The bus stop IDs can be seen on the Metro station’s information board under the “Legend” section if you use the Metro and then need to transfer to a feeder bus to get to your final destination.
2. Send an SMS to 5223
Send an SMS to 5233 with the following format when you require the bus arrival schedule at your station:
- Enter the letter “D,” a space, then the bus stop ID.
Example: “D 537002”
You will receive an SMS from Wojhati with the schedule of the buses that will be arriving at the stop in a matter of seconds. For instance, if you send an SMS at 9.30 am, you would receive the bus schedules at a later time.
You would be subject to the standard SMS rate of 30 fils if you use this service.
Have internet access? Use the S’hail app instead
As an alternative, you can use the S’hail app from RTA, a navigational device that gives commuters information about the route, including the length and cost of the trip as well as the arrival and departure schedule of the bus, Metro, or water transport that you want to use.
Follow these procedures to only receive bus departure times:
- To access the menu area of the S’hail app, tap the three horizontal lines in the upper left corner of your smartphone’s display.
- After that, tap “Departures” and input the ID for your bus stop.
The whole bus schedule for your bus stop will then be available. The service offered by the app is cost-free.
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