Kindergarten pupils and elderly citizens in Sharjah have been able to enjoy free excursions around their emirate thanks to an initiative from City Sightseeing Sharjah. The tour bus company - a collaboration from Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) and City Sightseeing Worldwide - organised recreational tours for 25 older persons and 48 pupils as part of its commitment and responsibility towards all segments of the community. 

The one-and-a-half hour tours formed part of City Sightseeing Sharjah’s Red Route (Leisure Tour) and visited key tourist destinations across Sharjah. With a trip each undertaken for the younger and older passengers, the two tours allowed the children from Sharjah ladies Club’s Basateen Kindergarten and Collage Talent Centre and the elderly citizens who are residents at Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services’ Old People’s Home to explore Sharjah’s most significant landmarks and to find out more about their rich history and cultural heritage.

Setting off from the Central Souq, the City Sightseeing Sharjah buses took in stops that included Palm Tree Oasis, Al Noor Mosque, Al Majaz Waterfront, Al Buhairah Corniche, Al Montazah, Al Khan Beach, Sharjah Aquarium, Sahara Shopping Centre and Safeer Mall, before ending the tour at City Centre Sharjah.

Ahmad Obaid Al Qaseer, COO at Shurooq, said that the provision of the free leisure tours was in alignment with Shurooq’s dedication to its social responsibility towards children and older people.

“We organised those tours to draw a smile on the faces of the elderly residents of the Old People’s Home and to bring positive activities to their daily programme, assuring them that they are important and dear to us as all other segments of society. We also wanted to help our children – the future generation - explore the secrets and wonders of our Smiling Emirate, the baby-friendly emirate,” he said.

The passengers young and old, along with their carers, expressed their happiness with their excursion experience and thanked City Sightseeing Sharjah for providing them with the opportunity to explore the beauty of Sharjah from the vantage point of an open top double decker bus.

City Sightseeing Sharjah’s fleet of tour buses with convertible rooftops allows visitors and tourists to explore Sharjah’s historical monuments, authentic heritage and popular tourist sites. The tours feature three bus lines; the Red Route (Leisure Tour) with its 13 stops, the Green Route (Cultural Tour) that includes eight bus stops and the Blue Route (Night Tour), that features 12 stops and runs from 7:00pm to 9:00pm.on Fridays, Saturdays and public holidays.

City Sightseeing Sharjah is rated number one out of the list of activities in Sharjah by the globally respected travel site ‘TripAdvisor.’ Tickets for City Sightseeing Sharjah’s buses are available at over 60 locations in Sharjah, Dubai, and Ajman, as well as online at www.city-sightseeing.com.