Staff transportation services in Dubai

How a staff transport contract runs

A staff transport contract, often called an employee shuttle, is the same route at the same times every working day. It suits companies that move shift workers, warehouse teams or office staff between accommodation and work.

1. Send the basics. Pickup points, the site or office address, shift start and finish times, head count per shift and working days per week.
2. We map the route. Stops in order, departure times and the drive time for each leg, with a margin for peak traffic.
3. You get a written proposal. It sets the vehicle for each shift, names who operates it, and states the invoice cycle and notice periods.
4. Runs start on the agreed date. The driver keeps to a fixed stop list. Your supervisor can reach the Assure desk on WhatsApp or phone 24/7.
5. One invoice each month. Every run is listed. Head count changes are made through the notice period in the contract.

Recurring routes like these belong here. For a one-off day out, an event shuttle or a group airport arrival, see bus rental with a driver or minibus rental instead.

Related reading: company car versus chauffeur cost, new hire arrival transport and office party transport.

Which vehicle fits each shift?

Size the vehicle for the busiest shift of the week, not the average. Staff on a work run carry bags and lunch boxes, not suitcases, so every seat can be used.

Vehicle	Seats	Where it comes from	Fits
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter	13	Assure fleet	A small office team or a supervisors’ run
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter	19	Assure fleet	A warehouse shift of 15 to 19
Toyota HiAce	12	Partner network, subject to availability	A short route with few stops
Ford Transit Bus	14	Partner network, subject to availability	Mid-size shifts and split routes
Toyota Coaster	22	Partner network, subject to availability	A shift of 20 or so, with no luggage hold needed
Coach	35	Partner network, subject to availability	One accommodation block to one site
Coach	50	Partner network, subject to availability	Large shifts on one route

Two worked examples:

• A shift of 120: two 50-seat coaches and one 22-seat Coaster, with 2 seats spare.
• A shift of 30 from two accommodation areas: a 19-seat and a 13-seat Sprinter, one per area, with 2 seats spare. Each bus makes fewer stops, so nobody rides the whole loop.

See the coaches and buses and minibuses in the fleet for seat layouts and photos.

Common staff routes and drive times

The table shows typical routes between accommodation areas and work areas in Dubai and the northern emirates. Distances and times are without traffic, from OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap, checked on 17 October 2026.

From	To	Road distance	Without traffic
Muhaisnah 2 (Sonapur)	JAFZA One, Jebel Ali Free Zone	about 55 km	about 46 minutes
Muhaisnah 2 (Sonapur)	Al Quoz Industrial Area 3	about 35 km	about 33 minutes
International City	Dubai Investments Park	about 39 km	about 35 minutes
Al Qusais Industrial Area	Al Maktoum International (DWC)	about 62 km	about 1 hour
Al Nahda, Sharjah	DIFC	about 16 km	about 18 minutes
Al Nahda, Sharjah	JAFZA One, Jebel Ali Free Zone	about 49 km	about 43 minutes
Ajman city centre	Dubai Silicon Oasis	about 42 km	about 35 minutes

Real shift-time journeys run longer. Runs from Sharjah and Ajman into Dubai meet the morning peak, so set the first pickup early and check the timings in the first week of the contract.

A route that starts in Sharjah or Ajman and ends in Dubai crosses an emirate boundary. A route that starts and ends inside Sharjah, Ajman or Abu Dhabi may need an operator licensed in that emirate. Ask us to confirm the operator for your route before you plan around it.

Shift patterns and the summer midday break

The timetable follows one of three patterns.

• Office hours: one morning run and one evening run, Monday to Friday. The bus leaves the site between runs.
• Two or three shifts: runs at each changeover. Where shifts overlap, one bus can drop the incoming shift and carry the outgoing shift home in the same loop.
• Split days: a morning run, a midday return and an afternoon run.

The UAE midday break shapes outdoor work in summer. From 15 June to 15 September every year, work under direct sun in open places stops between 12:30 pm and 3 pm. If your crews go back to their accommodation during the break, the contract can add a run at 12:30 pm and a return before 3 pm. If they rest on site, the bus can stay parked there instead.

Boarding, waiting and head counts

Each stop on the route has a fixed departure time. The contract sets how long the bus waits at each stop, so one late rider does not make 49 others late for the shift.

• Boarding lists: if HR wants a head count for each run, ask for it in the proposal.
• Site rules: put your HSE rules in the brief, such as a seat for every rider, seat belts on every seat or a gate pass for the driver. The proposal confirms them bus by bus.
• Stops: pick points the bus can stop at safely, such as an accommodation car park or a lay-by, not the hard shoulder of a main road.

Replacement buses, standby and changes

The contract states, before the first run:

• how a replacement vehicle is sent if a bus breaks down, and who sends it
• whether a standby minibus is included for breakdowns and extra staff
• how much notice you give to add or drop a vehicle
• the invoice date and payment terms

Drivers report any delay to the Assure desk on +971 56 684 8148, answered 24/7 on WhatsApp and phone. Your site supervisor hears about it at the same time.

Who operates the bus

Assure is RTA licensed, with more than 10 years in business in Dubai. Both Sprinters on this page, the 13-seat and the 19-seat, belong to the Assure fleet.

Coaches, Coasters, HiAce and Transit buses come from partner operators, available through our partner network, subject to availability. The proposal names the operator on each route, with the model year and seat count of each bus. Ask us to confirm the operator’s RTA licence for staff transport on your route.

Staff transport, a monthly driver or a corporate account?

• Many staff on fixed shifts: this page.
• One executive or a small team with a car every day: a monthly driver plan.
• Airport pickups, meeting cars and show weeks, billed with your staff buses: a corporate account.

What to send for a proposal

Fill in the form on this page, or send the same list on WhatsApp. A route plan needs these details.

• Company name and the site or office address
• Every pickup point, such as an accommodation block or a Metro station
• Shift start and finish times, and working days per week
• Head count per shift, including the busiest day
• Any midday break runs in summer
• Contract start date and length
• Invoice details: purchase order, cost centre, payment cycle