According to Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority, a ferry service for passengers has been launched. It is able to carry travelers between Al Ghubaiba Marine Station in Dubai and Aquarium Marine Station in Sharjah.
This new service will be the first marine transit service between the city of Dubai and other UAE’s emirates. The RTA has launched the service with the goal of improving marine transportation and making people mobility easy.
It is interesting to note that the RTA has considered an affordable fare for this service. The cost is only Dh15 for the Silver Class and Dh25 for the Gold Class.
Also, it should be said that the journey is free for people with special needs as well as children below five. Besides, free WiFi connection will be available for riders.
As brought on Khaleej Times website, the transit time for the new system will be 35 minutes, while the service frequency is each 30 minutes in morning peak hours and evening peak hours. The interval of the service is 1 and a half hours in off-peak hours. The first journey of Dubai will leave at 5:15am and the last one will depart at 8:00pm. About Sharjah, the first one is at 5:00am, while the last one will leave at 7:30pm.
Mobility options
The new service will increase the cooperation between Dubai and Sharjah by suggesting more commutes between these two emirates. Also, it will eliminate the pressure on roads because of a quick and safe marine transport system.
There are 9 ferries operating at 8 stations. The stations include: Al Ghubaiba, Al Marina Mall, Al Jadaf, Water Canal, Sheikh Zayed Road, Water Front, Marasi and Dubai Design District.
Also, it should be said that the Ferry has high safety standards, rescue & firefighting equipment, anti-maritime pollution and experienced crew. Moreover, it is capable of accommodate 125 riders, 110 life jackets, and 6 safety life-buoy. Besides, the cockpit is equipped with navigation tools. These tools include tracking devices as required by international institutes, marine radar, sea depth measuring instrument and electronic maps.
Dubai Ferry has some international certifications that one of them is ISM certificate awarded by Bureau Veritas. Bureau Veritas is an accredited French entity to classify ships. This award is the highest international standard to assure the quality of the ships. As well as this, it assures preventing maritime pollution.
300 parking spaces
Aquarium Marine Station is equipped with Park-and-Ride facility for more than 300 vehicles for users of marine transit. This has been done to encourage the use of this service.
The RTA of Sharjah has provided anything needed to operate the service. These structures include a marina with all needed utilities. The RTA has also built the required buildings. These buildings include waiting lounges for both males and females. In addition, it has constructed toilettes, ticketing counter and a ticket-vending machine.