There is no separate Dubai bus card. The card you tap when boarding an RTA bus is the NOL card the same card used on the Dubai Metro, Dubai Tram, and RTA water buses. This means checking your bus card balance uses exactly the same methods as checking a metro card balance. Whether you are a daily bus commuter or an occasional rider, here is every way to check how much is left on your card.
The Dubai Bus Card Is the NOL Card
This is worth stating clearly because a lot of people search for “bus card balance” assuming there is a dedicated bus card separate from the metro card. There is not. The RTA operates one unified smart card the NOL card across all transport modes. The same card, the same balance, and the same top-up all apply whether you are on a bus, metro, tram, or water bus.
When you board an RTA bus and tap your card on the validator at the door, the fare is deducted from your NOL card stored value. The remaining balance is briefly shown on the validator screen after the deduction. That is the same balance pool you use when tapping into the metro.
This also means that if you run out of balance on the bus, you will not be able to use the metro either, and vice versa. Keeping track of your NOL card balance matters for all RTA travel, not just one mode.
4 Ways to Check Your Dubai Bus Card Balance
1. Metro Station Ticket Vending Machine
The Ticket Vending Machine at any Dubai Metro station is the most reliable option, especially if you do not have a smartphone or do not want to use an app. Bus passengers without a nearby metro station can also use these machines since they are located at every metro station across the city.
Walk to any metro station, find the blue TVM on the concourse, and tap Card Services or Check Balance on the screen. Place your NOL card on the reader pad. Your current balance, last transaction, and card expiry date all appear within seconds. This works for all NOL card types, registered or unregistered, with no login required.
2. Guest Balance Check on nol.ae
If you want to check from your phone or computer without going anywhere, the nol.ae website has a guest balance check option that does not require any account or login.
Open a browser and go to
. On the homepage, find the Check Card Balance option it is accessible without signing in. Enter your 16-digit NOL card number printed on the front of the card. Click Check and your current balance and last transaction appear immediately. This works for any NOL card type whether registered or not.
For a step-by-step guide on all online check methods:
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3. NOL Pay App
The NOL Pay app is the most convenient ongoing solution for checking your bus card balance on a smartphone. After you link your NOL card to the app, your balance appears on the home screen every time you open it.
Download NOL Pay from the Google Play Store or App Store. Sign in with your Emirates ID and phone number, then link your card by entering the 16-digit number. Your balance shows on the home screen from that point forward and updates automatically each time you tap on any RTA vehicle.
If your Android phone has NFC, you do not even need to link the card. Open NOL Pay, tap Read Card Balance, enable NFC in settings, and hold your physical NOL card to the back of your phone. The balance reads from the card chip in about two seconds with no login needed. This is the fastest method for unregistered cards.
For the complete app guide:
NOL Card Balance Check – Complete Guide
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4. RTA Bus Fare Validator
Every RTA bus has a fare validator machine at the entrance door. When you board and tap your NOL card, the validator deducts the fare and briefly displays your remaining balance on its screen. This is not a dedicated balance check it is a by-product of tapping in but it tells you your balance after each bus boarding.
Many regular bus commuters use this as their main balance indicator. If the number is getting low, they know to top up before the next journey. The display stays on screen for two to three seconds after the tap.
Keep in mind that the balance shown is after the fare deduction, not before. So if you had AED 12 on the card and the bus fare was AED 3, the screen shows AED 9.
Dubai Bus Fares with NOL Card
Knowing the fare structure helps you judge how many more trips your current balance can cover. Using a NOL card on RTA buses is cheaper than paying cash, which is another reason to keep it topped up rather than relying on cash fares.
| Ride Type | NOL Card Fare |
| Zone 1 bus trip | AED 3.00 |
| Zone 2 bus trip | AED 5.00 |
| Inter-zone bus trip | AED 7.50 |
| Cash fare (any route) | AED 5.00 |
Using a NOL card saves between AED 0 and AED 2 per trip depending on the zone. For a daily commuter making two bus trips a day, that adds up to a meaningful saving over a month. A
is worth considering if you use buses or metro regularly it gives unlimited rides within a zone for a flat monthly fee.
What Happens If Your Bus Card Balance Is Low
If your balance falls below the bus fare for your route, the validator at the bus door will decline the tap and not let you board. Unlike the metro where you can tap in and deal with the exit, the bus deducts the fare at boarding so if there is not enough credit, you cannot board at all.
If your balance is between AED 0 and AED 3, you will likely be declined on most routes. Top up before travelling to avoid this. The easiest places to top up are at any metro station TVM, online via nol.ae, or through the NOL Pay app. For the complete top-up guide:
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If your card shows AED 0 despite a recent top-up, the recharge may still be pending. Online top-ups require one physical tap on any RTA reader bus validator, metro gate, or TVM before the credit loads onto the card. Until that first tap after recharging, the card chip still shows the old balance.
Checking Bus Card Balance Without a Smartphone
Not everyone uses a smartphone, and RTA’s system fully accommodates this. The two offline options that require no phone at all are the metro station TVM and the bus fare validator.
The TVM is the more useful of the two for checking before you travel, since the validator only tells you the balance after a fare has already been deducted. If you want to know your balance before boarding so you can decide whether to top up first, head to the nearest metro station TVM. It is free to use, takes a few seconds, and gives you the full balance, expiry date, and last transaction without any setup.
For a full comparison of all check methods across both metro and bus:
Dubai Metro Card Balance Check
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a separate Dubai bus card?
No. The card used on RTA buses is the NOL card the same card used on the Dubai Metro, tram, and water buses. There is one unified card and one shared balance for all RTA transport.
How do I check my Dubai bus card balance without going to a station?
Go to nol.ae and use the guest Check Card Balance feature on the homepage. Enter your 16-digit NOL card number and your current balance appears without any login. Alternatively, use the NOL Pay app or NFC on Android.
Can I check my bus card balance without registering the card?
Yes. The nol.ae guest check, metro station TVM, bus fare validator, and NFC tap on Android all work for unregistered cards without any account setup.
What is the minimum balance needed to board an RTA bus?
You need at least AED 3.00 for a Zone 1 bus journey and AED 5.00 for a Zone 2 journey. If your balance is below the fare for your route, the bus validator will decline the tap.
Why does my bus card balance not match what I topped up?
Online top-ups stay as pending until you tap the card on any RTA reader. Until then, the card chip shows the pre-top-up balance. Board any bus or metro, tap as normal, and the pending amount loads instantly.
