Dubai: Commuters heading to Dubai from Sharjah can hop on the intercity buses from five different pick-up points besides Al Jubail bus station, the Roads and Transport Authority has announced.
The additional pick-up points come as a huge relief for thousands of commuters who travel between the two emirates daily, as it saves them a lot of money and time.
“The move is intended to make it easy for riders residing along the bus route in the direction of Dubai to catch the bus without requiring them to travel first to the main bus stop at Al Jubail station, Sharjah,” Adel Mohammad Shakeri, Director of Planning and Business Development at RTA’s Public Transport Agency, said.
However, he added, the five new passenger pick-up points have been added only on Routes 307 and 307A in Sharjah, over and above the main bus stop at Jubail station for passengers heading to Dubai.
Route 307 connects Sharjah with Deira City Centre and route 307A commutes between Al Jubail station Sharjah and Abu Hail Metro station, Dubai.
Passengers hoping to catch buses to other parts of Dubai will have to do it from Al Jubail bus station. Though commuters can still opt to take either route 307 or route 307A from any of the new stops and continue their journey to other destinations on Dubai Metro.
“This comes as great news for all those who don’t drive and have to visit Dubai regularly on buses. Earlier we didn’t have a choice but to take a taxi to Al Jubail station to board a bus for Dubai, now I can just walk a few minutes and catch a bus from King Faisal street,” said Mohammad Saleem, who travels between the two emirates daily for work.
Among the five pick-up points, one will be on King Faisal street, near Jumbo Electronics showroom, and the other four will be on Al Wahda street, opposite Sharjah City Centre, the new Subway outlet on Al Wahda, opposite Safeer Mall, and opposite Ansar Mall.
These pick-up points will help residents from Abu Shagara, Al Qasimiya, Al Majaz, Jamal Abdul Nasser Road, Al Nahda and Al Taawun areas to access Dubai buses directly without the hassle of going all the way to Jubail bus station.
“I live in Al Majaz and I had no option to go directly to Dubai. Every day I had spend Dh10 on a taxi to Al Jubail bus station and from there another Dh10 on the bus to Dubai, now I will walk for 10 minutes to Al Wahda and save Dh10 daily,” said Momina Jamal.
Shakeri added that the buses will be available at designated stops every 20 minutes throughout the day.
More than 20,000 people travel on the buses between the two cities daily on seven routes that connect different parts of Dubai with Sharjah.
Route E303 operates from Union square, E303A starts from Sabkha bus station, E404 heads from Satwa bus station, and E306 operates from Al Gubaiba bus station.
Besides these routes there are two routes operated by Mowasalat Sharjah that connect with Al Quoz and Ibn Battuta Mall, Jebel Ali.
