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(This section
covers Bus Routes, Passes, Car Rental, Traffic Violations, Taxis,
Projects, Metro, and Water Taxis)
If
you're going to Qatar to live or even for a visit, you're going to
want to know how to get around! I'll explain all of what there is
and what's coming soon to Qatar. Before starting, it's best to know
that the national transport provider is by Mowasalat (that means
'connectors' in arabic because they connect you to your
destination).
Buses:
Qatar's bus services can take you to all of the major stops. Buses
however are not commonly used by nationals since owning or renting a
car can be very cheap compared to other countries. Buses are very
clean, modern, and air conditioned. Using the bus is also extremely cheap.
Bus
Passes (Get them at Al-Ghanem Bus Station with a Faresaver Photo
Card)
| One Month |
QR 120 |
| One Week |
QR 30 |
| One Day |
QR 6 |
| One Trip |
QR 2 |
For updates please click here
Taxis:
There are
three forms of taxi's in Qatar; you'll find the
SMS taxis,
street taxis
and Limousines.
SMS taxis are basically 'call' taxis that you can pre-book and
call to pick you up. They are usually a bit more expensive.
Street Taxis roam the streets and can be seen in their bright
aqua green colour a mile away. Always remember to ask the
approximate price before climbing into any taxi. ESPECIALLY ask
the price in a street taxi if he doesn't have a meter or hasn't
switched his on. Sometimes you can bargain!
The best type of taxi is a limousine. These are usually slightly
more expensive than an average taxi but are much more
comfortable and you can usually hire them for single routes like
a normal taxi or for an entire day. There are two forms of
Limos; standard and VIP.
|
FACT 1: A taxi
in Qatar is called Karwa. Karwa is an old traditional name
for a taxi that was brought back during the launch of the
Asian Games 2006. |
You can also book a taxi online if you like, click on the button
below for a link to Mowasalat's booking service.
Renting cars:
Renting cars is the
ideal choice if you want to get around easily. Petrol is cheap
remember? Renting a car can be between 50QR a day to anything up
to 1000QR depending on the car of course. The average deposit is
1500QR which covers you for damage.
Petrol: The
average price for filling up a standard car with premium petrol
is around 50QR
Basic
driving advice:
The driving side on Qatar is on the
right-hand. (Like the US)
Speed limits are 50km in residential areas, 80-100km on major
roads and 120km on major causeways.
Seatbelts are compulsory for front seat passengers.
Children under the age of 10 are not allowed in the front seat
It is illegal to use your mobile phone while driving.
Always carry your driving license and rental documents with you
at all times.
Cycling and Blading:
A lot of people like
to Cycle, Blade, or Jog next to the Corniche. It's a great way
to do some exercise and relax with the sea breeze. It's quite
common to see expats and locals like running around and enjoying
a bit of healthy activity. On Friday's though, the Corniche is
considered a family area, so please don't be discouraged if
you're not allowed at night for a jog and you're a single guy. At the moment
Qatar is working on an amazing new project. It is going to be
the worlds FIRST cooled cycling path at 35 kilometers! It will
stretch along the whole of the Corniche and spray a cool mist so
that you can be cooled while walking or cycling down the path.
See the attached photos and a link to a video.
Click here
for video
Note: Although the Corniche is still as beautiful as
ever, the cooled cycle path project is now on hold indefinately.
  
Metro:
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A Metro/Light Railway Train (LRT)
network, BRT/tram lines and a dense network of feeder
buses will provide smooth access, high-frequency
services and high travel speeds within the greater Doha
area, and offer an attractive and effective alternative
to private car transport. |
The Metro light rail network will be
developed in three stages, extending 140km in Doha when
completed. This rail network will link all major Olympic
sites, including the new international airport and port,
the hotel, shopping and residential districts as well as
all the major sports clusters, the Olympic Village and
the 'Media City'.
Construction of phase
one (85km) of the rail network will begin in 2009 and
will be completed by late 2015. |
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Underground:
There currently is
NO underground system, however a system will be integrated into
the new city of Lusail along with Doha.
The plan is to integrate the world's fastest MagLev and the
world's first maglev to be both above and underground.
Projects:
Qatar is investing
billions of dollars on a wide range of major transport-related
infrastructure projects over the next 20 years.
To improve transport infrastructure and mobility in Doha, the
Qatar Publick Works Authority (QPQA) / Ashghal is already
undertaking numerous roads-related projects, including a number
of multilane motorways and extensions to existing ring roads.
Qatar has a ton of
projects to look forward to, I've named a few here and there's
much more on the forums.
- Bahrain-Qatar Friendship Bridge. A direct link between the two
countries. It'll take no more than 1 hour to drive to each
country!
- Qatar-AbuDhabi Future Bridge. Another direct link between two
countries. This link will make Qatar the central point in the
Gulf region. Inevitably causing an even larger economic boom.
-
In May 2003, the
Monorail project was started which basically planned a system
which would link Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. This is not
complete yet.
Click
here to see some photos.
Traffic Violations
Qatar is working hard to ensure that the roads
remain a safe method of transport. Since many people from all over
the world practice different driving skills, new laws were put in
place to hopefully stop any accidents from occurring.
Decree No 19 of 2007, issued by HH the Deputy Emir and Heir Apparent
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, said a driving licence may be
suspended for three months when the total violations reached 14
points for the first time.
If the same person gathered 12 points again, his licence would be
suspended for six months, nine months on the accumulation of the
next 10 points and one year for the next eight points.
Ultimately, a driving licence may be cancelled if the same offender
earned six points for the fifth time..
The penalty for using mobile phones while driving has been enhanced.
The violator will have to pay a minimum fine of QR3,000 and a
maximum fine of QR10,000. He is also liable for imprisonment up to
one year.
Motorists who commit violations like driving with no authorised
licence, driving under the influence of liquor , driving in the
opposite direction of traffic flow, escaping from the accident site,
causing sound and air pollution and exceeding the speed limit would
be punishable by imprisonment from one month to three years or fined
QR10,000 to 50,000 or both.
According to the new law, the punishment for the following offences
are also the same as mentioned above : Not wearing seat belts,
allowing children below 10 years sit in the front passenger seat,
not giving way to official motorcades and the vehicles of the
police, civil defence and ambulances, not leaving enough space
between two vehicles and motorcyclists allowing another passenger
sit behind them (pillion riding).
The law stipulates that the driver and the front seat passenger
should wear seat belts all the time.
Cyclists should keep to the right side of the road and should ride
in one line. Motorcyclists are not allowed to ride on one wheel.
Both should wear helmets.
VIOLATION POINT SYSTEM
|
Offence |
Points taken |
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Jumping the
red light |
7 |
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Driving in
the opposite direction |
6 |
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Driving
under the influence of alcohol |
6 |
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Exceeding
the maximum speed |
4 |
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Driving
recklessly and dangerously |
4 |
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Driving with
defective brakes |
4 |
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Driving with
inappropriate licence |
3 |
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Driving with
stripped or invalid licence |
3 |
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Violating
norms of public morality |
3 |
|
Driving an
unregistered vehicle |
3 |
|
Driving a
vehicle without number plates |
3 |
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Unauthorised
changes made to number plates |
3 |
|
Providing
wrong information to pass the technical inspection |
3 |
|
Using the
vehicle for the wrong purpose |
3 |
|
Blocking the
flow of traffic intentionally |
3 |
|
Driving a
vehicle without a proper silencer |
3 |
|
Driving a
polluting vehicle |
3 |
|
Driving a
vehicle that leaks any material that can damage the road |
3 |
|
Driving a
vehicle which drops loads which can endanger the public
safety |
3 |
|
Driving on
the embankment |
3 |
|
Making a
wrong U-turn |
3 |
|
Changing a
vital part of the vehicle without a written permission
from the authorities |
3 |
|
Giving the
licence to someone who has no licence |
2 |
|
Driving a
vehicle with unclear number plates |
2 |
|
Driving with
only one number plate, or changing their shape or detail |
1 |
|
Refraining
from giving driving licence to traffic police |
1 |
|
Trucks
violating the load conditions |
1 |
|
Trucks
violating the width, length, or weight regulations of
the vehicle |
1 |
|
Driving a
technically unsafe vehicle |
1 |
|
Using
lights, horns, microphones, or other machines against
the law |
1 |
|
Disobeying
traffic signs |
1 |
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