No tolls, no traffic, no accidents. Just a smooth-sailing journey between both emirates for the cost of a Gold Class metro ride. That’s right, the Dubai-Sharjah ferry service will be making waves once again starting August 4. The RTA today announced that the Dubai Ferry service which was suspended during the pandemic will resume transporting commuters.
This marine transport service is the result of collaboration between the Roads and Transport Authorities of both emirates to help residents sidestep the notoriously congested roads during rush hour. Instead of the hours-long journey (during peak traffic) between Dubai and Sharjah, travel time will be now cut down to just 35 minutes. And the ticket fares starting at AED 15 will be cheaper than what petrol for the journey would otherwise cost you.
Timings and locations of the Dubai-Sharjah ferry service
Available all seven days a week, the ferry service will run 8 journeys daily from Monday to Thursday and 6 journeys per day from Fridays to Sundays. The boats will shuttle between Al Ghubaiba Marine Station in Dubai and the Aquarium Marine Station in Sharjah.
Here’s the schedule:
On weekdays, you can catch a morning ferry from Sharjah to Dubai at 7am and 8:30am and one from Dubai to Sharjah at 7:45am. In the evenings, ferry timings coincide with rush hour, offering officegoers alternative transport routes – two ferry trips from Sharjah set off at 4:45pm and 6:15pm. Meanwhile, three ferries will depart from Dubai for Sharjah at 4pm, 5:30pm and 7pm.
On weekends, from Friday to Sunday, ferries will only be in service during the evenings. Departure times from Sharjah will be 2pm, 4pm and 6pm whereas the journeys from Dubai will start at 3pm, 5pm and 8pm.
How to purchase tickets
Fares for a one-way journey on the ferry cost 15 AED for Silver Class and 25 AED for Gold Class. Journeys on the ferry are free for People of Determination and children under five years. You can purchase ferry tickets at the customer service desks at each marine station or like other public transport systems in the city, you can pay the fare using nol card, or buy them online at www.marine.rta.ae