KT experiment: Ferry trip vs bus ride vs long drive in Dubai
The idea is to find out what's the best optimum transport solution for an office goer who commutes daily from Sharjah to Dubai.
For thousands who live in Sharjah and work in Dubai, how to beat the traffic has long been the biggest conundrum. With the recent launch of the ferry service between the two emirates, negotiating a chock-a-block Ittihad Road every rush hour is no longer the only option to get to and from work. Is it the answer to residents' traffic woes? Khaleej Times did an experiment on Monday: With Sharjah City Centre as our starting point at 8 is, three KT teams 'raced' to BurJuman in Dubai. One team hopped aboard the new ferry; one took the bus, and another drove to the finish line.
Ferry - the most scenic journey
It took us just about 10 minutes and Dh15 on a Sharjah taxi to reach the Aquarium station, and another seven to eight minutes to locate the ticketing counter in the newly built station (but that's a typical first-timer's syndrome).
A catamaran was ashore and ready to set sail by 8.25am and within five minutes - right on the dot - we were sailing under the UAE's cool blue skies, comfortably sat in a brand new 100-seater.
Thirty minutes later, we were in Dubai's Al Ghubaiba marine station, just a long hop from Al Ghubaiba Metro Station. After 10 more minutes, we reached Bur Juman, our final destination.
We were the last to arrive among the three teams that took on three different modes of transport as part of our experiment. But that doesn't tell you about the 20 minutes we spent taking photos of the marina while we were waiting for the ferry - neither does it say anything about the fascinating sights and sounds we sampled along the way, from the deck and from the comforts of the AC glass cabin.
Travel time: 50 minutes (excluding waiting time)
Cost: Dh35 (per person)
Reached Burjuman at 9.20am
Pros
. Stunning sights that money can't buy
. The fast, efficient and reliable transport system
. Comfortable seating with glass cabin and WiFi onboard
. A great new way to take a tour around Dubai and Sharjah
Cons
. Price is slightly steep for a daily commuter (Dh15 for Silver Class and Dh25 for Gold)
. Poor public transport connectivity with Sharjah's Aquarium station (feeder bus does not cover key parts of the emirate)
. Long waiting time. If you're not aware of the schedule, you could end up waiting from 30 to 90 minutes
Public transport - a practical choice
At exactly 8 am in the morning, we joined other commuters inside the air-conditioned bus stop in front of Sharjah City Centre.
The E303 bus - which would take us directly to the Union Metro Station in Dubai - arrived within 10 minutes and we were off. Schools were closed due to the summer break and we encountered almost no traffic on the roads. However, all that changed when we got closer to Ansar Mall and finally hit the infamous Sharjah-Dubai highway traffic.
The next 15 minutes saw us fighting the slow-moving traffic jam. Things began to look up again as we approached and finally took the dedicated track for RTA buses and taxis. The track helped us avoid the majority of the traffic that was entering Dubai from the main highway. So far, we had clocked in around 25 minutes of travel time on the bus.
Another 15 minutes finally saw us approaching the Union Metro Station. Once inside, we took a small detour to check the balance on our Nol cards and ensure that we were topped up for the return journey.
We then rode the Metro and, less than five minutes later, we stepped out at Burjuman Metro Station and logged at the end of our journey.
Travel time: 45 minutes (excluding waiting time)
Cost: Dh18 (per person)
Reached Burjuman at 9.10am
Pros
. Comfortable journey
. Smooth transition between buses and Metro stations
. Air-conditioned bus stops
. Dedicated RTA road
Cons
. Multiple traffic signals
. Nol card has to be topped up or you can't ride the bus
Car - fastest but not energy-efficient
We left our start point at 8.04am and decided to take the E11 or Ittihad Road to Dubai. We took a detour to Business Bay Crossing to save money on one Salik toll.
The total journey took 46 minutes; however, we believe this was the case because schools are closed for the summer and several residents are not in town.
As expected, the traffic began ahead of Ansar Mall. We witnessed two traffic bottlenecks on the Industrial Area Interchange, as well as at Al Nahda Interchange on the Sharjah-Dubai highway.
While most morning commuters looked relaxed during their drive, safety was lax among several drivers as they cut lanes without indication and intimidated motorists who drove slower than the others.
During peak traffic time, even a minor accident can cause long tailbacks for every single commuter on the road. Fortunately, we faced no tailbacks during our journey on Monday and we crossed the peak traffic in 10 minutes.
As much as we enjoyed being the first to the finish line, we couldn't help but think public transport is the more energy-efficient and affordable option.
Travel time: 45 minutes
Cost: Dh24 (Dh4 for Salik; petrol at Dh2.18/litre for a 26km drive on an SUV)
Reached Burjuman at 8.50am
Pros
. The fastest way to travel
. Allows one to leave at the time of his or her convenience
Cons
. Spent 10 minutes in traffic
. Not energy-efficient
. Additional cost for parking and vehicle maintenance, etc
The KT Experiment as it happened:
Team A - Rohma Sadaqat and M. Sajjad ready to hop on to the bus
Team B - Dhanusha Gokulan and Rahul Gajjar to drive down
Team C - Abhishek Sengupta and Juidin Bernard to take the ferry
9:36 am
Team C has made it exactly 1 hour 22 minutes since we started from Sharjah City Centre at a cost of Dh70 for two people.
Team C have made it exactly 1 hour 22 minutes since we started from Sharjah City Centre at a cost of Dh70 for two people.
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9:32 am
Team A arrived at Union Metro Station after a 35-minute journey. The journey from Union Metro station to Burjuman took less than 5 minutes. They both stopped to top up their Nol cards for the return journey. Time for the entire journey was 45 minutes.
Team A arrived at Union Metro Station after a 35 minute journey. The journey from Union Metro station to Burjuman took less than 5 minutes. They both stopped to top up their Nol cards for the return journey. Time for entire journey was 45 minutes.
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9:30 am
Team C - Abhishek Sengupta and Juidin Bernard to take the ferry, readying for the last leg of the trip to BurJuman from the Al Ghubaiba bus stop, barely 200 metres from the marine station.
Team C - Abhishek Sengupta and Juidin Bernarrd to take the ferry, readying for the last leg of the trip to BurJuman from the Al Ghubaiba bus stop, barely 200 metres from the marine station.
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9:20 am
Team A - Rohma Sadaqat and M. Sajjad reach the BurJuman Metro station.
Team A - Rohma Sadaqat and M. Sajjad reach the BurJuman Metro station!
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9:10 am
Team C - Abhishek Sengupta and Juidin Bernard arrive at the shore in Dubai in just about 30 minutes.
Team C - Abhishek Sengupta and Juidin Bernarrd arrive at the shore in Dubai in just about 30 minutes!
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9:05 am
Team B still made it ahead of the competition. However, traffic was far more manageable given schools are closed and several residents are off for summer holidays. Under normal circumstances, this journey would've taken some more time.
Team B still made it ahead of competition. However, traffic was far more manageable given schools are closed and several residents are off for summer holidays. Under normal circumstances, this journey would’ve taken some more time.
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9:01 am
Team B: Start Time- 8:04 am, Time at destination: 8:52am. Smooth sailing for most of the drive, with the only exception of bumper to bumper traffic on Al Ittihad Road. If we’d taken the Garoud Bridge, it would’ve saved us a few more minutes.
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8:57 am
Team C - Abhishek Sengupta and Juidin Bernard are nearing Dubai in their 35-minute ferry ride and the sights are absolutely gorgeous.
Team C - Abhishek Sengupta and Juidin Bernarrd,are nearing Dubai in their 35-minute ferry ride and the sights are absolutely gorgeous.
Video by Juidin Bernarrd/Khaleej Times
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8:55am
Team B: Rahul Rahul Gajjar and I (Dhanusha Gokulan) are a signal away from BurJuman even after we took the longer route via Business Bay Crossing avoiding the Garhoud Bridge Toll Gate. What we saved in money, we gained by enjoying Dubai's beautiful morning vistas.
Team B: Rahul and I are a signal away from BurJuman even after we took the longer route via Business Bay Crossing avoiding the Garhoud Bridge Toll Gate. What we saved in money, we gained by enjoying Dubai’s beautiful morning vistas.
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8:50 am
Team A is nearing Union Metro Station. From here themselves Rohma Sadaqat and M. Sajjad will be taking the metro to Burjuman Metro Station.
Team A is nearing Union Metro Station. From here Rohma and Sajjad will be taking the metro to Burjuman Metro Station.
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8:45 am
Team B (travelling by car) have crossed into Dubai now.
Dhanusha, Rahul - Team B (travelling by car) have crossed into Dubai now!
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8:44 am
Team C: Bright and sunny on the high sea as we take the ferry from Sharjah to Dubai.
8:38 am
It's been a smooth check-in for Team C and we are ready to set sail in about a minute's time from now.
Photo by Abhishek/Khaleej Times
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8:30 am
Team B has officially crossed over into Dubai after crossing the final interchange, Al Nahda, between Sharjah and Dubai. We've crossed one Salik Gate- Al Mamzar. Traffic is still bumper to bumper.
#KTExperiment: Ferry trip vs bus ride vs long drive in Dubai
Team B has officially crossed over into #Dubai after crossing the final interchange, Al Nahda. Traffic is still bumper to bumper.
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8:22am
Team B- We're officially "stuck" in the infamous Sharjah-Dubai morning commute traffic which began a little ahead of Ansar Mall. The vehicles are inching at a snail's pace of 10 km per hour. There's traffic police monitoring the early morning road situation, ensuring road safety.
KT experiment: Ferry trip vs bus ride vs long drive in Dubai
- Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) July 29, 2019
Team B- We're officially "stuck" in the infamous #Sharjah-#Dubai morning commute traffic which began a little ahead of Ansar Mall.
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8:10 am
KT experiment: Ferry trip vs bus ride vs long drive in Dubai
Travel by car: KT journalists Dhanusha Gokulan and Rahul Gajjar travelling from Sharjah City Centre to BurJuman.
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8:00 am
Travel by car: Dhanusha, Rahul - Team B
KT photojournalist Rahul Gajjar and Dhanusha Gokulan have strapped themselves into their car. The starting point of our journey is from the bus stand opposite Sharjah City Centre. It's a hot day, and we're all set to head out to our final destination - BurJuman in Bur Dubai.
KT experiment: #Ferry trip vs #bus ride vs long drive in #Dubai
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8:19 am
Travel by bus - Rohma Sadaqat and M. Sajjad ready to hop on to the bus
Team A has officially hit the infamous Sharjah-Dubai traffic. Right now we have just passed Ansar Mall which is the first stop if you are coming to Sharjah from Dubai. Commuters are all at ease. Many are taking the time to catch up on social media posts; several are listening to music, and some are resting their eyes.
8:24 am
It's been a smooth check-in for Team C and we are ready to set sail in about a minute's time from now. 8.30 is the scheduled departure and the captain's just making an announcement.
8:28 am
Team A has crossed into Dubai. Traffic is ever-present, but now we are steadily moving. Soon we will be approaching Al Mulla Plaza, which is one of the oldest landmarks in Dubai.
8:35 am
Team A has passed the Century Mall. Right now we are bracing ourselves for a number of traffic signals. The roads are very much empty with the occasional car or two.
Dubai-Sharjah Ferry ride details
8 am - Sharjah City Centre
8.12am - Sharjah Aquarium station via Sharjah Taxi (Dh15)
8.30am - Ferry takes off
9 am - arrival in Al Ghubaiba ferry station (Dh15 for the silver class; Dh25 for gold class)
9.10am - Al Ghubaiba metro station
9.20am - Burjuman Mall (Dh3)
/ Source: KhaleejTimes
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