Passengers boarding a Mowasalat bus at the Religious Complex bus stop. (File picture) 

By Ramesh Mathew/Staff Reporter

 Regular bus passengers travelling to Mesaimeer and neighbouring areas, including the Religious Complex and Barwa Masaken housing compound, have complained that Mowasalat’s public transport buses operating on the route have become irregular of late, especially on weekend evenings.

Some of them point out that even after waiting for long at bus stops in the evening on weekends, they are sometimes unable to find buses going to the area. Returning to the city from the Religious Complex and surrounding areas by bus is even more difficult, they point out.

When the Mowasalat office was contacted for comments, a senior official said buses on the route were running as usual and operating according to their schedule. There was no reason why the buses should not operate in the evening, especially on weekends, the official stressed.

While promising to look into the issue, he said sometimes - especially in the afternoon - buses running on some routes were delayed because of road works. “Sometimes, they are also delayed due to heavy vehicular traffic in the city areas,” he added.

The Mowasalat official promised to improve frequency of services on the route in the evening, especially between Thursday and Sunday. He also urged passengers to bring issues such as the difficulties they face in getting buses to the company’s attention.

Meanwhile, even as passengers travelling from different city areas to the Religious Complex complain of irregular services, inmates of some labour accommodation units on the Mesaimeer-Wakrah road have sought the introduction of bus services through the neighbourhood from both the Industrial Area and the city.