The public bus service in Qatar has been gaining popularity not only among low-income workers but also among women, families and executives, with a steady growth in the number of passengers, according to a senior official of Mowasalat.
To meet the growing demand, the company is planning to add 55 new buses very soon to its existing 185-strong fleet. Additional routes have also been planned to make the service accessible to more people, Mowasalat’s business development director Ahmed Al Ansari told The Peninsula.
“In the beginning, only low-income workers were using the buses. Now, a number of people from the middle-income segment as well as women and families are taking advantage of the service,” said Al Ansari.
He said the public bus service had seen a growth of 20 to 30 percent this year, carrying a total of 22 million passengers. The company will soon have an expanded fleet of 240 buses, including five double-deckers that will hit the roads shortly. All the new buses are coming with special seats for families and more advanced features.
Al Ansari said the ongoing road and drainage works in the city posed a major challenge to the bus service, leading to delays. He hoped the service would see better times with the opening of new roads and completion of the projects that are currently under way.
Mowasalat is now working with Barwa Real Estate company to introduce new routes to Mesaimeer and the Industrial Area, where new Barwa projects are coming up. The first buildings of Barwa’s low-rent housing project are located in Mesaimeer. All the churches are also located in the area.
“We are planning a new route to the Industrial Area, where the Barwa Al Baraha project is coming up,” said Al Ansari.
http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local%5FNews&subsection=Qatar+News&month=December2008&file=Local_News2008121813526.xml
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