Things don't seem to be going well for new and returning students at universities in Dubai. With the start of the new academic year, students are finalising transport arrangements for the remainder of the year and university administrations are striving to facilitate the transport services being offered.

The first couple of weeks have resulted in some confusion, delay and frustration among students mainly with respect to the services provided and their steep costs. Notes investigates where things are going wrong.

At the heart of Dubai

With the opening of new campuses in Dubai International Academic City, students are still getting acquainted with the transportation services to their universities.

It takes Puja Dilip, a third-year media student at Manipal University, around three hours to get to university from her residence in Sharjah. "The whole process is very disorganised. The bus is always late, packed with students and they always make us wait.

Sometimes the air-conditioning doesn't work," she said. "We often arrive more than an hour late and we end up missing classes."

Ramya Chidamran, also from Manipal University, has been using the bus for the last two years. "When the year begins, buses are extremely crammed," she said. "My bus has a capacity of about 30 students but about 60 are allowed to get on… Sometimes we are not allowed on the bus because there is not enough space, and we end up waiting for another bus, only to find that there is no place to sit and we end up standing."

According to Krishna Kumar, facilities manager at Manipal University, students have to register and pay a fee of Dh1,750 per semester to use the transport services. Out of 850 students, 625 are registered to use the buses, he said.

Kumar explained that the overcrowding is due to many unregistered students riding the buses.

"What happens is many unregistered students get on the bus, and as a result the registered students get frustrated," he said.

Nevertheless, Kumar said they are working on preventing this from reccurring. "By next week we will begin issuing identification cards to registered students," he said. "Only students with ID cards will then be permitted to get on the bus."

The university has 25 buses, and another four have been added to meet student needs. More buses are also being allocated on the more congested routes.

"Traffic in the Sharjah and Al Nahda area is always blocked, especially now when one of the major roads in Sharjah has been shut down," Kumar said. "So what we have done is add two more buses to serve that area."

Delays

Kumar said student complaints that buses don't arrive on time is mainly because of "students' failure to adhere to bus schedules".

"Only about 60 per cent of students come on time, while others call the bus back," he said. "Students miss the bus, and then they and their parents call the driver asking him to come back. As a result, the next pick-up time is delayed and the pattern continues."

Kumar said that in future, the university will strictly enforce the bus schedules with no exceptions.

Off-campus accommodation

Accommodation for students at Manipal University is provided in Al Barsha. Though many students find this a considerable distance from the university's location in DIAC, Kumar explained that the route from Al Barsha to the university actually goes against the traffic.

"If you're going from Sharjah to Academic City at 7am, it could take hours compared to a maximum of 25 minutes to reach the university from Al Barsha," he said. "Students residing in Al Barsha are also close to the Mall of the Emirates and Lulu Hypermarket, which is also another important convenience for them."

Kumar said the university is working on providing hostels on campus; they should be ready by 2009.

Hike in bus fees

A lack of organisation isn't the only problem students face. A significant increase in bus fees of 300 to 400 per cent has forced students at Dubai Women's College (DWC) to find alternate modes of transport.

According to Dr Howard Reed, senior director of the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) and DWC, around 700 students rely on the services and nearly half a dozen students have left the college since the problems with transportation began.

Reed said that a request had been made for 22 buses and none showed up and various reasons have been given.

"The reasons depend on whom you talk to," Reed said.

"Some will say that there aren't enough buses, while others will say that parents and students do not agree to pay the new fees for the services. Meanwhile the price hike is attributed to the salary increase for drivers."

Emirates Transport, the outsourced transportation provider for the college, has increased its fees by 300 to 400 per cent over last year, depending on the location. A student commuting from Sharjah to DWC, who earlier paid about Dh300, must now pay Dh1,000.

Emirates Transport said in a press release that the transportation fee hike is under review but that the company adheres to market prices and accordingly has to accommodate the rise in the cost of petrol and other operational expenses.

The company added that the issue will be resolved in two weeks and that it will do its best to facilitate transportation for DWC students.

Thinking of leaving

Expressing their frustration, students said the current situation might force them to consider leaving the college.

Shaima Ahmad, a business technology student, used to take the bus to college every day. She now has to rely on her sister to drop her off on her way to work.

"For now this is working as most Ramadan timings are the same," Shaima said. "However if this issue isn't resolved by the time Ramadan is over, I might have to stop my studies."

Shaima said the cost of transportation is too high and that students and their parents shouldn't be expected to be able to pay such an amount.

Business major Mariam Ebrahim is another student who is thinking of leaving the college if the transport issue is not resolved. "There is no way I'll pay over Dh1,000 every monthto commute to school," Mariam said. "One day I go with my friends, another day with my parents and many times I arrive late. I might have to find another college that provides reasonable transportation services."

A look at the other emirates

A survey of universities in other emirates shows that the problem is not as severe outside Dubai. At Al Ain Women's College (AWC) the start of the new academic year hasn't brought any change in the transport services. Linda Fairhart, superviser of Student Services at AWC, said that students haven't reported any transport problems.

She said around 140 students use seven buses to travel to areas in and around Al Ain. The college organises transportation through Emirates Transport.

"There are three pick-ups in the morning and two in the evening. Most of the students who rely on buses live in areas like Hatta or Ras Al Khaimah or Dalma," Fairhart said.

The fee ranges from Dh300 to Dh350 per month depending on the distance. Financial assistance is available to those who cannot afford this, Fairhart said.

Suitable timings

Maha Al Ka'abi, a third-year business student, lives in the UAE University dormitories in Al Ain and commutes to AWC by bus.

"I find the timings suitable as they have periodic pick-up and drop-off services. I live in Hatta and the buses are available to take me home on the weekends too," she said.

New and old universities alike are working to implement transport for their students. Such is the case with Abu Dhabi Men's College (ADMC) and George Mason University - Ras Al Khaimah (GMU-RAK).

Ursula Seifert, director of Student Affairs at GMU-RAK, said that transport is currently being arranged for students living outside the emirate. "The only transportation we provide is from the dormitory to the campus. During the fall orientation, a survey will be conducted to assess the need for transportation to and from other emirates. Based on this need we will then provide the service," she said.

Mohammad Blaik, community relations officer at ADMC, said: "We will provide students with buses that will pick them up from various areas across Abu Dhabi. It's just a matter of logistics, but things should be ready by next week."

Abu Dhabi universities

Al Hosn University in Abu Dhabi doesn't provide transport. Kishor Bankan, procurement manage, said this is because students have made their own arrangements for commuting.

Abdul Kareem Saeed, an industrial engineering student, explained that the university's location and its student strength are the two reasons why transport hasn't been organised.

"I drive my own car to get to university as do most other students," he said. "The campus is located at the heart of the city, and the number of students is too few to provide a transportation service."

How do you commute to university

"I drive my own car. This way I can come and go as I please."
— Vinod Janwari, finance, University of Wollongong in Dubai

"I go by bus. I hate it. The ride is so long and boring."
— Saneya Qadir, human resource management, UOWD

"I take the bus. I live in Al Qusais and it takes forever."
— Zaara Arif, B-Com, UOWD

"I go by bus. I prefer taking the metro to save time and money."
— Nayneet Kamal, B-Com, UOWD

Do you have problems commuting to university

"We wait so long and it's harder for males."
— Suraj Vaswani, BBA, University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD)

"Yes, the fees of buses are very expensive."
— Rochelle Mascavenhas, BBA, UOWD

"I use taxis and they are very unreliable."
— Adil Kurmanov, finance, (UOWD)

"My bus doesn't get to Deira so I have to walk from Naif."
— Umang Ramasaria, BBA (UOWD)

Average transport registration fees

By Maysam Ali and Manal Ismail, Staff Reporters

Articles from the author

A tough ride for students