If you are a woman and you are new to Doha or you are yet to see all the popular places in Qatar you may have heard about, here is an opportunity. In a unique collaboration the female management of the Doha Bus, the first top-open tour bus in Qatar, is giving free orientation on a bus to the members of Qatar Expat Women (QEW) to go explore the country.
“Mellissa and Ashma of Doha bus have given Qatar Expat Women a bus for the orientation [ride] for all the new members of the group. On that day we will [visit] the main sites of Qatar to orientate women to the city of Doha,” says Carole Astin, the founder of QEW.
During the tour, the participants will be given information about the city and they will have the chance to discover some interesting points about the city. “Come prepared with your questions and enjoy the ride around the city,” she advises the new members.
Doha Bus and Qatar Expat Women, she says, will be working together in the future as well, giving QEW members a chance to go out of the city and see what lies elsewhere in Qatar.
Doha Bus is a privately owned company, whose primary goal is to provide a professional and courteous hop on hop off sightseeing tours of Doha.
A hop on hop off tour is where a passenger may hop off the bus and explore the city at his or her pace, then hop back on the bus to continue the tour and move to a different place of interest.
The hop on and off services allows people to discover the city at their pace. They can take all the time they need and simply get back on and continue the tour.
The guide is provided by a digital state of the art commentary system. Not just a voice telling you some info, but a full production complete with colourful background effects and music that is relative to the current location.
Audio Guide are provided in 7 different languages; English, Arabic, German, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese (Brazil).
Doha Bus was established in the spring of 2013 and was fully operational by November 2013. The current route has a total of five buses running and one shuttle bus for customers needing a ride from hotels. Doha Bus is endorsed and licensed by the Qatar Tourism Authority.
Qatar Expat Women is a lively group of multicultural ladies with a mission to help as many women as possible in the transition from their homeland to life as an expat, and to make it a positive and empowering experience.
“Qatar is an amazing place to live, filled with many rich opportunities. QEW is a community group (a non-profit organisation) run by amazing volunteers, who are willing to share their experiences and are ready to lend a helping hand,” says Carole.
Women are invited to join QEW for friendship, café chats, volunteering and cultural events. Each gathering brings a new mix of diverse women, who come together for companionship and mutual support.
QEW is an informal group and welcomes female expats to be involved as little or as much as they like. “If you have ideas for outings and would like to suggest them or help to organise a gathering, that is very welcome. We are interested in partnering with other community groups and businesses to promote Qatar and build positive cross-cultural relationships,” says the founder.