Sharjah, UAE: Female students from Sharjah city studying at the Sharjah Maritime Academy’s Khor Fakkan branch are set to benefit from a free weekly transport arrangement directed by Sharjah Ruler Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi.
The service will take students home to their families in Sharjah on Thursdays, their weekly day off, and return them to the academy on Sundays for the resumption of classes, according to a report published on October 9, 2026.
The decision followed a parent’s appeal during the Direct Line programme broadcast by the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority. The student’s father explained that travelling between Sharjah city and Khor Fakkan every week to collect his daughter and return her to the academy had become difficult to manage alongside his work commitments.
Sheikh Sultan responded by contacting the academy’s director and directing the institution to arrange transport for female students from Sharjah city.
Academy and University City to coordinate transport
The Sharjah Maritime Academy’s administration is working with University City to establish how many students will use the service and identify their residential locations before finalising the transport arrangements.
The number of students eligible for the service, the precise pickup locations and the operational schedule beyond the reported Thursday and Sunday journeys have not been specified in the available report.
For students living away from their families, reliable transport can make weekend travel easier to manage. The arrangement is also intended to reduce the need for parents to undertake repeated journeys between Sharjah city and the academy’s campus in Khor Fakkan.
The directive specifically concerns female students from Sharjah city enrolled at the academy’s Khor Fakkan branch. It should not be interpreted as an announcement of free transport for every student in Sharjah or across the wider UAE.
Transport access remains an important student concern
University City already provides free bus transportation for students travelling between the University of Sharjah, Sharjah city, surrounding areas and the Eastern Region, according to the University of Sharjah’s published transportation information.
That existing service is separate from the newly reported arrangement for female students at the Sharjah Maritime Academy. The academy’s service will need its own operational coordination, including identifying the students who will benefit and determining suitable routes.
The latest directive addresses a specific challenge faced by students whose studies require them to live away from home. Regular transport between their family homes and the academy could help ease the logistical pressure on both students and parents.
Further details about the service are expected to depend on the coordination between the academy and University City. The available report does not specify when the first journeys will take place or whether additional routes will be introduced.
For now, the confirmed arrangement establishes the intended weekly travel pattern: students will be taken to their families in Sharjah on Thursdays and returned to Khor Fakkan on Sundays, with the academy working to identify those who qualify for the service.
Q1. What did the Sharjah Ruler announce?
Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi directed the provision of free weekly transport for female students from Sharjah city studying at the Sharjah Maritime Academy’s Khor Fakkan branch.
Q2. Who is eligible for the transport service?
The reported arrangement is for female students from Sharjah city enrolled at the academy’s Khor Fakkan branch. The final number of eligible students is still being determined.
Q3. When will the students travel home?
The reported schedule is to take students to their families in Sharjah on Thursdays and return them to the academy on Sundays.
Q4. Why was the transport arrangement introduced?
The directive followed a father’s appeal on Sharjah Broadcasting Authority’s Direct Line programme. He described the difficulty of making weekly trips between Sharjah and Khor Fakkan to bring his daughter home and return her to the academy.
Q5. Who will coordinate the transport service?
The Sharjah Maritime Academy’s administration is coordinating with University City to identify eligible students and their residential locations.
Q6. When will the free transport service start?
The available report does not specify a launch date. The academy was still coordinating the arrangements when the report was published on October 9, 2026.
Q7. Will all students in Sharjah receive free transport?
No such wider announcement was reported. The directive described in the report applies specifically to female students from Sharjah city studying at the academy’s Khor Fakkan branch.
Q8. Where is the Sharjah Maritime Academy’s Khor Fakkan branch?
It is in Khor Fakkan, on Sharjah’s east coast. The students covered by the arrangement will travel between the branch and their families in Sharjah city.
