diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/SshTransport.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/SshTransport.java
index 16d57fa9c..6f17ebf09 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/SshTransport.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/SshTransport.java
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ package org.eclipse.jgit.transport;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.TransportException;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.internal.JGitText;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Repository;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.util.FS;
 
 /**
  * The base class for transports that use SSH protocol. This class allows
@@ -80,6 +81,18 @@ public abstract class SshTransport extends TcpTransport {
 		sch = SshSessionFactory.getInstance();
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Create a new transport instance without a local repository.
+	 *
+	 * @param uri the URI used to access the remote repository. This must be the
+	 *            URI passed to {@link #open(URIish)}.
+	 * @since 3.5
+	 */
+	protected SshTransport(URIish uri) {
+		super(uri);
+		sch = SshSessionFactory.getInstance();
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Set SSH session factory instead of the default one for this instance of
 	 * the transport.
@@ -118,8 +131,10 @@ public abstract class SshTransport extends TcpTransport {
 
 		final int tms = getTimeout() > 0 ? getTimeout() * 1000 : 0;
 
+		final FS fs = local == null ? FS.detect() : local.getFS();
+
 		sock = sch
-				.getSession(uri, getCredentialsProvider(), local.getFS(), tms);
+				.getSession(uri, getCredentialsProvider(), fs, tms);
 		return sock;
 	}
 
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/TcpTransport.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/TcpTransport.java
index a6e539089..fcf026cc6 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/TcpTransport.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/TcpTransport.java
@@ -66,4 +66,15 @@ public abstract class TcpTransport extends Transport {
 	protected TcpTransport(Repository local, URIish uri) {
 		super(local, uri);
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Create a new transport instance without a local repository.
+	 *
+	 * @param uri the URI used to access the remote repository. This must be the
+	 *            URI passed to {@link #open(URIish)}.
+	 * @since 3.5
+	 */
+	protected TcpTransport(URIish uri) {
+		super(uri);
+	}
 }
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/TransportGitAnon.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/TransportGitAnon.java
index 4fca19ce8..a7f42fd87 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/TransportGitAnon.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/TransportGitAnon.java
@@ -100,12 +100,21 @@ class TransportGitAnon extends TcpTransport implements PackTransport {
 				throws NotSupportedException {
 			return new TransportGitAnon(local, uri);
 		}
+
+		@Override
+		public Transport open(URIish uri) throws NotSupportedException, TransportException {
+			return new TransportGitAnon(uri);
+		}
 	};
 
 	TransportGitAnon(final Repository local, final URIish uri) {
 		super(local, uri);
 	}
 
+	TransportGitAnon(final URIish uri) {
+		super(uri);
+	}
+
 	@Override
 	public FetchConnection openFetch() throws TransportException {
 		return new TcpFetchConnection();
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/TransportGitSsh.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/TransportGitSsh.java
index dde4d2058..b27fa0d6b 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/TransportGitSsh.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/TransportGitSsh.java
@@ -126,10 +126,24 @@ public class TransportGitSsh extends SshTransport implements PackTransport {
 				throws NotSupportedException {
 			return new TransportGitSsh(local, uri);
 		}
+
+		@Override
+		public Transport open(URIish uri) throws NotSupportedException, TransportException {
+			return new TransportGitSsh(uri);
+		}
 	};
 
 	TransportGitSsh(final Repository local, final URIish uri) {
 		super(local, uri);
+		initSshSessionFactory();
+	}
+
+	TransportGitSsh(final URIish uri) {
+		super(uri);
+		initSshSessionFactory();
+	}
+
+	private void initSshSessionFactory() {
 		if (useExtSession()) {
 			setSshSessionFactory(new SshSessionFactory() {
 				@Override