Mowasalat will introduce more taxis on the roads of Doha during Eid Al Fitr holidays to meet the growing demand of its services by the public. "Some 150 cabs will hit streets during the Eid holidays," Greg William, Executive Director, Mowasalat Taxi and Limousine Business Unit, told Al Sharq yesterday. The move, is expected to address the shortage of cabs in the city. Talking about the current plans of Mowasalat, he said the company was seeking to maintain its expanded fleet of taxis and buses. "Mowasalat has already started training drivers to operate these cabs. It has designed 90 taxis to use Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), pointing out that these cars were expected to hit streets within next month," said William. Mowasalat has earlier announced that it will introduce eco-friendly taxis fuelled with Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) on the roads of Doha. The company will open the first LPG refilling unit at its premises in the Industrial Area. It also has plans to introduce LPG-fuelled buses for public transport. Once the project is launched, Mowasalat can convert two taxis daily for this purpose. Greg William was talking on the sidelines of the company's get-together party held recently at the Dana Club. The party was attended by Jassim bin Seif Al Sulaiti, Mowasalat Chairman, Ahmed Al Ansari, Senior Business Development Manager at the company as well as Mowasalat employees. During the party, Mowasalat honoured a Karwa driver, who returned QR17,000 inadvertently left behind by a passenger. City braces for Eid rush The city is expected to witness a bigger rush ahead of Eid Al Fitr this year, as fewer people will be travelling out of the country during the holidays, according to experts. Travel Industry sources say that there has been a drastic fall in the number of residents travelling home during this Ramadan. The number of nationals who are planning to spend their vacation outside the country has also dropped significantly. "This was expected since Ramadan this year has coincided with the end of summer vacation and re-opening of the schools. Most people are in no mood to travel again since they have just returned from summer vacation," an official from a leading travel agency told The Peninsula yesterday. He said, even a drop in airfares after the peak season didn't have a major impact on the market. Fares to some destinations, particularly India, have dropped after the summer holidays, thanks to the stiff competition in the market. "Market is dull, although the Eid is very near. And there are no signs of a revival so far," said the official. The international stock market crisis and fear about a recession in the regional market have also prompted some citizens to stay home, according to a Qatari businessman and analyst, Hassan Al Jefairi. Jefairi told The Peninsula yesterday, "Many citizens are worried about the situation. This is a major talking point among the people these days. The global crisis has added to their woes and stopped them from travelling out of the country during this Eid," said Al Jefairi. The city has been witnessing heavy traffic jams since the beginning of Ramadan, particularly in the peak hours. Souqs and shopping centers have been crowded with visitors until late in the evening. The situation is expected to worsen in the coming days, with more people opting to spend their holidays here. The Pen

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