Buses, Amman

To get from Amman to anywhere else, you must go by bus.

There are 3 bus stations, so you must see which you need. In general, the North station serves anywhere North, the West serves the W..... you get the idea.

West station is just about walkable from Downtown (15 mins), the other 2 are a taxi ride away (approx 2-3JD).

Buses tend not to have a time, they leave when full, so be prepared to sit on the bus for up to 2 hours.

Buses tend to run more in the early mornning, and are often cancelled after noon.

Getting busses leaving Amman for other towns was one of the biggest frustrations I had. The travel guide (a very good guide in general, publsd – 2006) I used, was unfortunately inaccurate. It seems that most bus stations have changes location during the past year or so.
It is possible to get a public bus to Madaba, Petra, Salt, Jerash etc.
I took the bus from Petra to Amman, which was only 5 JD. To Madaba, Salt and Jerash from Amman, costs less than 1 JD.
I often saw JETT busses, but did not have the chance to use them – but, it does seem like a good option as they are air-conditioned and most probably more comfortable.

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Tabarbour bus station is the main station to get you out of Amman to head North, to visit cities like Irbid, Ajloun, Oum Qais, Salt, Fuhais etc ...
Buses are available all day long till mid-night, this is the cheapest way to get around the country & is mostly reliable (ecxept when the bus break down sometimes)

There are a few different bus stations in Amman, which can be used to get to other tourist cities. If you tell a taxi driver that you want to go to the bus station and which city you want to go to, he will know which station to go to. The buses are cheap, or from the station you can negotiate a price with the service taxis (easier to do if you have an arabic speaker with you, because jordanian drivers are con-artists). There are a couple of different bus companies running, and different ones go to different places. The main bus operator is Jett Bus, which can be more expensive than the others, but goes nearly everywhere. Jett bus does not have a website, but these are their most current phone numbers:

566-4146
566-4147

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I like to discover cities by walking and using public transport. In Amman both walking and buses are not a pleasurable experience. Amman pavements are obstructed by trees, building work, rubbish bins, etc... broken or lead to no-where and they are very very high literally more than 1/2 metre high. One needs to carry a ladder!!!

Although I was advised not to take the bus, I did. Taking the bus in Amman is a test of patience. Bus stops, if there are any, lack the sign, a map and even destination; There are no timetables. All writings on the buses are in Arabic. At major bus stations they do not operate on fixed schedules; they wait for the bus to fill up before moving. The driver would do his sales pitch on the footpath shouting out to everyone that the bus was about to leave. Buses are very shabby and usually have ripped seats because they are so old; and very noisy, not to mention the state of cleanliness which in this regard many taxis have the same problem.

Alas, the best way to get around Amman is by taxi. However beware the drivers will try and rip you off. Always insist on the meter being put back to .15 fils when you get in, do not believe if they tell you it's broken!

AMMAN-AQABA

TRUST and a similar express bus AFANA leave from Abdali station.

JETT bus station is about 5-10 minutes from Abdali. There are no stops or drop offs with express buses, so you CANNOT use it to get to Wadi Rum Junction.

PETRA, KARAK, MA'AN, WADI RUM

Mini buses South (Ma'an, Karak, Petra) are available at Wahadat Station downtown, a short taxi ride from the Amphitheatre in the opposite direction of Grand Husseini Mosque. Buses to Ma'an run late into the evening, if you missed your bus to Petra, catch one and from Amman to Ma'an, then take a taxi for 5JD from Ma'an to Petra.

To get to Wadi Rum take a mini bus to Aqaba or Ma'an (then another from Ma'an to Aqaba), get off at the Wadi Rum Junction, then take a taxi for a flat rate of 5JD to Rum Village or make arrangements to have your guide meet you.

From Abdali Bus Station in Amman, buses to Jerash and Madaba run every hour, the fare is 0.400JD.

Tip: To get to Mount Nebo, take the bus to Madaba. Mount Nebo is another 8km away, to get there take a service taxi (white car) for 1JD at the traffic round about near St. George's Church with its famous mosaic map on the floor.

At Abdali Bus Station are AFANA express buses to Aqaba for 4.35JD, buses leave 7:30am, 11:30am, 3:00pm, 5:00pm, 7:00pm. The schedule from Aqaba to Amman is the same. Travel time is 4 hrs, no stops or drop offs.

The drop off in Aqaba is in front of Dream Hotel.

Coffee, tea, mineral water and sodas available on board, buses are modern with A/C.

Once outside Amman, a movie (Arabic) is played.

The landscape through the Kings Highway is beautiful!