Long wait for buses to become an old tale

Manama

 With the upgrading of the fleet and the addition of the 141 new buses, frequencies on the network are now greatly enhanced. Now passengers need not to wait for more than an average of 22 minutes on any given route. The busiest routes will be operated up to every 15 minutes, providing a ‘turn up and go’ service.  Moreover, the new bus shelters, to be completed in the next 18 months, will also provide a different experience to the passengers.

 Commenting on the bus operations, Undersecretary for Land Transport and Post Affairs at MTT, Engineer Mariam Ahmed Jumaan said, “In addition to the launch of the full network which features an expanded fleet and routes, we are also very proud to launch the new GO Cards today. These are paperless tickets that will now be used in addition to the paper tickets.” “Users can now buy these cards with prepaid credit, and they swipe them on board upon entering and exiting the bus.”

 “With the introduction of these cards, the Ministry’s efforts will now be focused on introducing more technology to allow e-ticketing, online top-ups and mobile applications,” she remarked.  

 “Before we started full operations, we had achieved a number of 25,000 passengers, compared to the record of the previous operator of 18,000.  The passengers statistics over Eid indicate that this will only continue to increase with the full rollout of the network,” she said.

 “Simultaneously, the work is underway on shelters rehabilitation whereby the entire network is being fitted out with modern upgraded shelters. Work at the main terminals in Manama, Muharraq and Isa Town has been completed, and a significant upgrade of the bus depot in Isa Town has been undertaken,” Jumaan revealed.