How do I get to a gym in central Abu Dhabi without a car?

For RPM's address, parking and the way up from the building, see how to find RPM.

Abu Dhabi Mobility, the Integrated Transport Centre of the Department of Municipalities and Transport, licenses public and private taxis and the companies that book and dispatch them. You can book a taxi through its Abu Dhabi Taxi app or its call centre, or use a ride-hailing app.

• Give the building name, not only the area. For RPM, ask for AD HUB Sports Complex in Al Manhal.
• Set the pin at the entrance you will use, and check it before you confirm the booking.
• At busy times, such as after office hours, book the return trip a little before your session ends.
• If you travel late in the evening, share the trip details with someone at home.

A wrong pin is the most common reason for a long walk round a large building. Check a gym's exact location before your first visit explains how to test a map pin.

Abu Dhabi Mobility provides the emirate's public bus services. Its standard service covers trips within the city and its suburbs, and fares are paid with a Hafilat smart card, which you tap on the reader when you board and again when you get off.

• Getting a card: an anonymous Hafilat card needs no prerequisites. Abu Dhabi Mobility lists ticket sales and recharge machines, customer happiness offices at bus stations and the airport, and partner outlets such as Lulu branches among the places to buy one.
• Passes: the card can also hold 7-day or 30-day public transport passes, which make sense if you use the bus for work as well.
• Timetables: Abu Dhabi Mobility points riders to the Darbi app and Google Maps, and the Darbi website shows the actual arrival time of a bus at a stop.

Bus routes and fares change, and so do timetables, so this page gives no route numbers or fares. Check the Darbi app or the Abu Dhabi Mobility website for your trip, at the hour you will travel.

Plan with your training hour in mind. A route that works at midday may run less often late in the evening, which is when many people train.

From May to September, the walk is the hard part of a trip without a car. A stretch that looks short on the map can feel long at midday, and you arrive warm before the session has started.

• Choose the drop-off point that keeps the walk shortest.
• Wear light clothes for the trip, carry water and change at the gym.
• In summer, train early or late in the day, when the walk is less punishing.
• Wait for the bus in shade where you can, and avoid long waits in the midday sun.
• If you feel dizzy or unwell in the heat, stop, get into shade or air conditioning and drink water. Seek medical help if it does not pass.

What to wear to the gym in Abu Dhabi covers dressing for the heat on the way in.

A lift from family or a colleague is how many people without a car get to the gym. Agree in advance where you will be dropped, where you will be collected and what happens if your session runs over.

At AD HUB, the driver can use the free on-site parking while you train, which saves them a second round trip. If a teenager is being dropped for a coach-supervised session, confirm with the gym where they should wait to be collected.

If you do not drive, the trip deserves more weight in your choice of gym than it would for a driver. Test it before you join.

1. Do the trip once at your usual hour, by the method you will use.
2. Note the whole door-to-door time, including the walks and the wait.
3. Check how you will get home after an evening session.
4. Work out the weekly cost of taxis or bus fares, and add it to the membership price.
5. Check that the gym is easy to explain to a driver. A building name and a clear entrance help.

What makes a gym convenient in central Abu Dhabi weighs the trip against facilities and hours.

RPM is one club, on Level 4 of AD HUB Sports Complex in Al Manhal. Ask a taxi or ride-hailing driver for AD HUB Sports Complex, then take the lift to Level 4. If you are unsure where to be dropped, message the team on WhatsApp before you set off.

RPM does not publish bus routes, so if you plan to come by bus, search for AD HUB Sports Complex in the Darbi app to see what serves it at your hour. Visiting the Ladies section? Message the team first and they will tell you where to go when you arrive.

Plan your trip home around closing time, especially on Fridays, when hours are shorter.