In a bid to encourage women to use public transport, Mowasalat has allocated the first two rows in all Karwa buses to women passengers.

The move is also meant to show respect to the privacy of women, and based on the directive from Minister of Transport, HE Jassim bin Saif al-Sulaiti, Mowasalat said.

Mowasalat, the operator of the Karwa transport services, has ensured that passengers are informed about the new arrangement through various channels, and posters in buses. Passengers will also see stickers near the seats reserved for women.

Mowasalat recently added 150 new low-floor buses and 150 more have arrived this month to join the fleet. Passengers on wheelchairs can have access to 55 buses. The buses are also equipped with Kentkart validating machines for ticketless, cashless travel using Karwasmartcard.

At present about 200 Mowasalat public buses are serving 50 routes from 4.30am to 11.30pm.

"In early 2016, we are planning to introduce three-four new routes besides improving ridership through reducing waiting time and increasing the frequency. We have the Google map route planner in place which is being tested and fine-tuned enabling bus passengers to plan their routes with all information such as nearest bus stop location, bus number, changeover if any, fare and real time location and arrival of the bus," the statement added.