The Mowasalat fleet of public transport buses would double to 300 when new buses are in service.

By Pratap John
Chief Business Reporter

Mowasalat will introduce about 150 new buses in the next few months to meet the rising demand of commuters.

“The new buses are under production and we hope to press these into service before the middle of next year, depending on the availability of drivers,” Mowasalat CEO Khalid Nasser al-Hail told Gulf Times in Doha on Monday.

The Mowasalat fleet of public transport buses would double to 300, al-Hail said.
He agreed that the development of new areas, roads and growing population would place more demand on the public transport system.

Al-Hail said tender for a new taxi franchise would be floated shortly and the franchise is expected to become operational in 2015.

Initially, the new franchise may have 500 cars. Depending on demand, more cars could be added.

To encourage more investors to consider the public transport industry, taxi plate fees, paid by the franchisee, have been reduced to QR1,010 per month as against QR1,510 at present.

“We hope this will encourage more people to participate in the tender. So far, the feedback has been positive,” al-Hail said.

Currently, there are about 3,700 taxis in the country, of which Mowasalat owns and operates 1,200. The rest are operated by four franchises.

Of the 3,700 cars, some will be under maintenance or withdrawn due to accidents.

“By 2022, the idea is to have some 7,000 cars on our roads, which will almost double the existing number,” the Mowasalat CEO said.

He said the company was committed to see that franchises did not lose money by investing in public transport.

“It is a huge commitment. Our task is to ensure that all franchises run their operations profitably even as the commitment to the travelling public is also met,” al-Hail said.

Mowasalat or “The Transport Company” started its operations in Qatar in October 2004 to provide land transport services and solutions.

It has widened its reach by providing airport taxis, standard taxis, VIP limousines, standard limousines, public transport buses, school buses, and bus and coach services for private hire.