University transport in Sharjah.

University transport in Sharjah: what groups book

University City is a district on the edge of Sharjah where several campuses sit close together, with student housing in Sharjah, Ajman and Dubai feeding in every morning. Transport requests from there fall into four kinds, and they are quite different from a school trip.

• Field trips and site visits for a department or a course, usually one day and often in another emirate
• A daily or weekly student route between housing and campus, quoted per month
• Campus days: orientation, open days, conferences and graduation, when a lot of people arrive at once
• Society outings, sports away fixtures and airport runs for new arrivals

We have separate pages on school and university trips and a school trip transport guide for under-18 groups. This page deals with the adult version: no head counts by class, but plenty of students who turn up late.

Field trips: choosing the destination and the day

Departments in Sharjah book coaches for trips across the emirates: geology at Hatta and Jebel Jais, engineering visits to ports and plants, business students at Dubai’s free zones, museums in Abu Dhabi. Our Jebel Jais by bus guide explains the mountain road for groups.

Choose the day around the host, not the coach. A factory visit starts when the host says it does, and a museum slot has a fixed time. Work back from that, then subtract the drive and 30 minutes for the pick-up and a headcount. A trip from University City to Abu Dhabi takes roughly two hours each way, longer at rush hour. Hatta is around one and a half to two hours.

Example: 32 engineering students to a site visit in Abu Dhabi, hosted at 09:30. The drive is about two hours and the buffer is 30 minutes, so the coach leaves University City at 07:00, and the return leaves at 14:30. One 35-seater from AED 600 for the day, or about AED 19 a head before route and hours are added.

Example: 28 students to Hatta for a geology day. A 30-seater from AED 550 per day is the natural size, around AED 20 a head at the starting price.

Student routes: how a monthly shuttle works

Some student groups, and some universities, charter a fixed route between housing and campus. The principle is the same as our staff routes. We map the pick-up points and the class times, draw a route, and quote a monthly price. The group, a student body or a department decides who pays and how.

Three things matter more than usual. First, class times vary, so a route works best where most students share a morning start. Second, exam periods and holidays change demand, and the monthly agreement should say what happens when students are away. Third, drop-off at the gate must work for a bus: ask the campus where a coach may stop and which gate to use.

We run routes from Sharjah and Ajman districts such as Al Nahda, Al Taawun and Al Nuaimiya, and from Dubai neighbourhoods on the Sharjah border. The Sharjah to Dubai by bus guide explains the public alternative and why a fixed route gives students a firm time.

Campus days: orientation, open days and graduation

These are the days when everyone arrives together, and the roads around University City reflect it. Give us the building and the gate, not just the university name: a campus can have several entrances, and the right one saves a long walk in the heat.

For orientation, plan several smaller pick-ups rather than one big arrival. For graduation, families come in groups of six to twelve and want a car-sized solution, so a V-Class or Sprinter often suits better than a coach. For both, ask the campus events team what it requires of visiting vehicles.

Which vehicle for which student group

Starting prices cover up to 10 hours with driver and fuel. The typical market range for a 50-seater is AED 699 to 800 a day. For the full table see bus rental prices.

Safety, paperwork and who signs

Universities have their own rules for off-campus trips, and they are the right source: approval, consent forms, supervisors, insurance. Ask your faculty office or student affairs team first. We ask only for the headcount, the trip leader’s mobile number and the itinerary.

Every seat on our buses has a seat belt, and drivers hold the right licence for the vehicle. The trip leader receives the driver’s details the day before. The trip leader should remind students to keep their belts on and stay seated while the coach is moving.

Costs and booking

A one-day field trip costs a day of vehicle hire, and the quote shows waiting time, extra hours and tolls separately. A monthly route is quoted from your stops and class times. We suggest a trial week first if you are not sure the route works.

Book at least a week ahead for a field trip and two to four weeks ahead in busy periods. Send the date, destination, headcount, campus gate and pick-up times through the booking form, or email info@emiratesbushire.com. For general information, see bus rental in Sharjah.

Related: School & University Trips · School trip transport guide · Bus rental Sharjah · Sharjah to Dubai by bus · Bus rental prices · Bus size guide · Get a quote

Keep reading

• Bus rental Ajman: Vans, minibuses and coaches with drivers for staff routes, university trips, weddings and airport runs from Ajman.
• School trip transport in Sharjah: A planning guide for teachers in Sharjah: who decides what, a countdown to the day, Sharjah traffic timing and trips by length.
• Sharjah to Dubai by bus: How the public buses between Sharjah and Dubai work, where they struggle at rush hour, and when a private bus is worth it.
• School bus rental UAE: Seat-belted mini coaches and coaches with drivers for school and university trips from Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah.
• Sharjah to Dubai staff transport: Daily staff routes from Sharjah and Ajman into Dubai, on a fixed monthly timetable with a regular driver.
• Expo City shuttle buses: Hotel loops and group transfers to Expo City Dubai for conferences, exhibitions and delegations.