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Tribune News Network
Doha
Errors committed by a small number of Karwa drivers shouldn’t be used to generalise the whole bunch, the Public Relations Officer of state-owned public transport company Mowasalat (Karwa) has said.
In an interview with social media influencer Hassan al Saai, Khalid Kafoud addressed some of the widely-raised concerns about the public taxis in Qatar — aggressive driving and metre tampering.
According to Kafoud, none of these concerns hold a lot of merit.
Karwa drivers, he said, hit the streets only after undergoing an extensive training that focuses heavily on Qatari traffic laws, safe practices and driving etiquettes.
“We have nearly 7,000 drivers from 35 different countries driving 4,000 vehicles in Qatar. All of them are trained at the highest level. We even give them a crash course on ways to properly deal with customers and other drivers on the road,” Kafoud said.
Most Karwa drivers are responsible, he insisted.
“Some of the drivers have committed mistakes but they constitute a minuscule percentage.”
Given the sheer number of Karwa taxies on the streets, he said, the accidents they have been involved in are “negligible”. This is reflective of the professionalism among the drivers and the company, he pointed out.
Kafoud said all Karwa drivers are held accountable for the violations they commit. Mowasalat takes each complaint against a driver seriously and diligently follows it up to ensure it is disposed of satisfactorily, he added.
Addressing another major public concern about Karwa taxies disrupting traffic by stopping on busy roads to pick up passengers, Kafoud said, “We must not forget that we are dealing with a taxi. A taxi is meant to wait for customers. Some places don’t have parking spots but the driver still has to stop and take the passenger.”
Metre tampering, Kafoud said, on Karwa taxies is impossible. The metres are automated and they get activated through sensors as soon as a passenger gets into the car, he said.
Kafoud also highlighted the importance of educating the people on the culture of public transport.
“We must give public transport buses the same priority as that of a school bus. The public should be careful not to impede the movement of public buses because they are bound by commitments and schedules,” he said.
Kafoud also called on the public to leave their observations or complaints they have of the Mowasalat service on its smartphone application to help the company improve its service.
Doha
Errors committed by a small number of Karwa drivers shouldn’t be used to generalise the whole bunch, the Public Relations Officer of state-owned public transport company Mowasalat (Karwa) has said.
In an interview with social media influencer Hassan al Saai, Khalid Kafoud addressed some of the widely-raised concerns about the public taxis in Qatar — aggressive driving and metre tampering.
According to Kafoud, none of these concerns hold a lot of merit.
Karwa drivers, he said, hit the streets only after undergoing an extensive training that focuses heavily on Qatari traffic laws, safe practices and driving etiquettes.
“We have nearly 7,000 drivers from 35 different countries driving 4,000 vehicles in Qatar. All of them are trained at the highest level. We even give them a crash course on ways to properly deal with customers and other drivers on the road,” Kafoud said.
Most Karwa drivers are responsible, he insisted.
“Some of the drivers have committed mistakes but they constitute a minuscule percentage.”
Given the sheer number of Karwa taxies on the streets, he said, the accidents they have been involved in are “negligible”. This is reflective of the professionalism among the drivers and the company, he pointed out.
Kafoud said all Karwa drivers are held accountable for the violations they commit. Mowasalat takes each complaint against a driver seriously and diligently follows it up to ensure it is disposed of satisfactorily, he added.
Addressing another major public concern about Karwa taxies disrupting traffic by stopping on busy roads to pick up passengers, Kafoud said, “We must not forget that we are dealing with a taxi. A taxi is meant to wait for customers. Some places don’t have parking spots but the driver still has to stop and take the passenger.”
Metre tampering, Kafoud said, on Karwa taxies is impossible. The metres are automated and they get activated through sensors as soon as a passenger gets into the car, he said.
Kafoud also highlighted the importance of educating the people on the culture of public transport.
“We must give public transport buses the same priority as that of a school bus. The public should be careful not to impede the movement of public buses because they are bound by commitments and schedules,” he said.
Kafoud also called on the public to leave their observations or complaints they have of the Mowasalat service on its smartphone application to help the company improve its service.
