DOHA: Mowasalat yesterday added 300 Toyoto Camry taxis to its fleet taking the total number of its Karwa taxis to 2,200.
The new vehicles were specially designed by Toyota for Mowasalat meeting high quality standards and specifications that make them more suitable to the Qatari environment.
Speaking on the occasion, Jassim Saif Al Sulaiti, Chairman of Mowasalat said the Company was keen to have the new taxis developed by Toyota based on a recent study of the GCC markets, a high degree of expertise and the experiences of other companies in the region which used previous models of the same type.
A Toyota delegation from Japan, Bahrain and Australia currently visiting the country attended the launch ceremony.
Dr Mohammed Abdulla Al Dorani, General Manager of Abdullah Abdulghani & Brothers (AAB), the exclusive dealers of Toyota in Qatar said AAB was the first company to deal with Karwa through providing the latter with 300 vehicles in late 2004 which were followed by another 300 vehicles.
"Today AAB provides Karwa with 300 new vehicles which have been modified to be more resistant to weather conditions prevailing in Qatar," said Al Dorani.
Ahmed Bu Sherbak Al Mansouri, Mowasalat Executive Director, said Mowasalat was all prepared for the next phase of its expansion, providing full transport solutions and improving its services using the latest technologies and the highest levels of training and safety standards.
Ahmed Al Ansari, Mowasalat Business Development Director added that Mowasalat's next plan was based on increasing its vehicle fleet, maintaining the good level of service for customers and improving staff performance to keep pace with the rapid economic and social development in the country.
He said the new Karwa taxis were equipped to meet the new requirements of the company, including operation for up to 22 hours a day, high cooling and air conditioning capacity and special specifications for high temperatures.
Eng Ali Bahzad, Taxi and Limousine Director at Mowasalat said that a flexible plan for operations was developed based on a field study of customers' requirements.
Mowasalat has rescheduled the distribution of taxis, changed vehicle shifts as per customer demand as well as the type of service and peak times and has allocated certain vehicles for each type of service.
Mowasalat currently operates around 2,200 taxis and 2,100 buses. A plan has been in place to meet the new requirements of the market as the current requirements are already fulfilled, said the official.
The company plans to have 60 taxi assembly and distribution points of which 15 points have already been established.
Several new points and stations will be opened subject to completion of the infrastructure projects across the country.
Hundred bus shelters had already been installed in Doha and another 100 shelters will be set up outside Doha this year.
© The Peninsula 2010
