Transport in Qatar
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[edit] Public Transport
In Qatar's pursuit of world-class products and services, the government has launched in 2002 the establishment of the Transport or most commonly known as the Taxi Company - Mowasalat, a 100% owned, managed and operated by the government to ensure the smooth provision of "Integrated Ground Transport Services" for the entire country. When some 3,000 privately and independently owned orange taxi's used to rule streets of Qatar, the new high-quality transport services of Mowasalat came to begin upgrading the transport system to achieve the requirements of some estimated 30,000 daily commuters.
While these new taxis are certainly safer and more comfortable that the decommissioned private orange fleet, many users complain that the new drivers are not well trained in the geography of the city. Many don't know even the major landmarks like five-star hotels, while others have almost no command of either of the two business languages of Qatar, Arabic and English.
The transport company's aim is to provide a developing sustainable and efficient transport systems and obtaining better mobility for all citizens in Qatar and making it as the first choice provider of integrated ground transport services within the region by 2010. With the previous years conducting its full-effort, Mowasalat began fullfilling its objective by providing efficient ground transport solutions to some of the biggest events in the region and especially to Qatar in the West Asian Games in 2005 and the recently held successful 15th Asian Games Doha 2006.
Presently, Mowasalat, under the brand Karwa now operates about 1,800 new taxi sedans including the airport taxi's, about more than 120 public buses and school bus and coaches. Added is its Doha Limousine Service which has 100 standard (unbranded, no Karwa logo) limousines and 200 (Jaguar XJ) VIP units that are mostly placed at the Doha International Airport and at major hotels.
More are expected to develop as the population and need increases, while the country continue to experience phenomenal economic and social growth. - TG
[edit] Railways
0 km
[edit] Railway links with adjacent countries
- Saudi Arabia - no
[edit] Highways
total: 1,230 km
paved: 1,107 km
unpaved: 123 km (1996 est.)
[edit] Pipelines
crude oil 235 km; natural gas 400 km
[edit] Ports and harbours
[edit] Persian Gulf
[edit] Merchant marine
total: 24 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 721,756 GRT/1,132,510 DWT
ships by type: cargo 10, combination ore/oil 2, container 7, petroleum tanker 5 (1999 est.)
[edit] Airports
4 (2006 est.) Doha International Airport has recently gone under development costing over 1 billion US dollars. The development was completed in mid-2005, and the new Doha Airport is set to be one of the largest in the world. With the first phase [terminal 1] set to be completed some time in 2008.
[edit] Airports - with paved runways
total: 2
over 3,047 m: 2 (1999 est.)
[edit] Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (1999 est.)
[edit] Heliports
1 (1999 est.)
[edit] See also
This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.
