Darb Tolls in Abu Dhabi: How They Work and When They Apply

Darb is Abu Dhabi's road toll, and it charges AED 4 every time a vehicle passes a gate. The original gates only charge during weekday peak hours, while the two newer gates at Al Qurm and Ghantoot charge around the clock. There is no barrier, no tag and no cash: a camera reads the number plate and the toll is taken from a prepaid Darb account.

What is the Darb toll in Abu Dhabi?

Darb is the road toll system run by the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC), now branded Abu Dhabi Mobility. It was set up to cut congestion on the busiest roads into the city and to push more people onto public transport, under Abu Dhabi's Law No. (17) of 2017 on Road Tolls.

The gates are gantries, not toll booths. Nothing slows down and nobody stops: cameras read the plate as you pass, and the ITC charges AED 4 for each transaction from the account linked to that plate.

When do Darb tolls apply?

It depends on which gate you pass. The original gates charge only in the morning peak from 7:00am to 9:00am and the evening peak from 3:00pm to 7:00pm, and they do not charge on Sundays or official holidays, according to the ITC's Darb page.

The two newer gates work differently. The ITC's announcement of the Al Qurm and Ghantoot gates says they run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at AED 4 per crossing, and that they went live on 4 May 2026.

So a mid-morning drive into the city through an original gate costs nothing, but the same drive past Ghantoot on the way in from Dubai is charged whatever the time. The ITC also confirms that daily and monthly caps have been removed, so every crossing counts.

Where are the Darb toll gates?

The Al Qurm gate sits on Wahat Al Karama Street at the entrance and exit of Sheikh Zayed Street, and the Ghantoot gate is on Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Street in Ghantoot. Both locations come straight from the ITC release, which also notes the alternative routes: Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Street or Arabian Gulf Street near Al Qurm, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Street instead of Ghantoot.

The Ghantoot gate is the one that matters if you are coming from Dubai. Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Street is the main coastal motorway between the two cities, so a car on that road passes the gate on the way in and again on the way out.

The original gates are on the main road crossings into Abu Dhabi city. If you are staying downtown or on the island and heading out to Yas, the airport or Dubai, expect to pass at least one of them.

Who pays the Darb toll, and how?

The registered owner of the vehicle pays, through a Darb account topped up online or in the Darb app. There is nothing for a passenger to do, and no cash changes hands at the gate.

The ITC lists a set of vehicles that are exempt automatically, including ambulances, public transport buses, motorcycles, authorised public taxis and school buses. It also allows one exempt vehicle for senior citizens, people of determination, retired citizens and families of limited income, on request.

Fines are where unregistered visitors get caught. The ITC charges AED 100 for a first unregistered crossing once the grace period ends, rising to AED 200 and then AED 400, and AED 50 per transaction when an out-of-emirate vehicle's wallet runs dry after five working days, as set out on its Darb fines page.

What goes wrong with Darb on a visit to Abu Dhabi?

The usual problem is a hire car with no active Darb account. The gate still records the plate, the grace period runs out, and the fine lands weeks later on top of the rental company's own admin fee.

The second problem is timing. People plan a free off-peak run into the city and then hit the Ghantoot or Al Qurm gate, which charges at any hour, or they leave a meeting at 3:15pm and pay at an original gate they crossed free that morning.

A chauffeur removes both headaches. With a private chauffeur from Emirates Limo, the car, the driver and the Darb account are all handled for you, and the fare you see at booking is the fare you pay, with no surge pricing and no extra charge for traffic or flight delays.

Do you need to think about Darb when you book a chauffeur?

No. Emirates Limo fixes every fare at the moment of booking with Darb and Salik tolls included, so there is nothing to register, top up or settle during the journey or at the end of it. You get a price on the service page, pay by card and receive an instant confirmation by email.

That holds on every route, whether it is a private car from Dubai to Abu Dhabi that passes Ghantoot, a chauffeur pickup at Zayed International or a day of meetings across the city with an Abu Dhabi chauffeur. The cancellation rule is the same everywhere too: a full refund 24 hours or more before pickup, and no refund inside 24 hours.

Sources

• Darb tolling system: fees, hours, exemptions and fines, Integrated Transport Centre (Abu Dhabi Mobility)
• The Integrated Transport Centre announces the addition of two new gates to the Darb toll gate system, Integrated Transport Centre (Abu Dhabi Mobility)
• Darb daily and monthly caps, Integrated Transport Centre (Abu Dhabi Mobility)
• Darb fines, Integrated Transport Centre (Abu Dhabi Mobility)