Doha - Taxi fares in Qatar are likely to go up by 10 to 15 per cent by the end of this year.
Ahmed Al Ansari, marketing manager at the Public Transport Company (Mowasalat) told The Peninsula yesterday that a proposal to raise the tariffs of Karwa taxis is being considered by the company management and a decision is expected soon.
"No decision has been taken so far in this regard but there is a high chance of increasing the fares by 10 to 15 per cent. I believe the raise will come to effect by the end of this year," he said. He indicated that the minimum fare is likely to go up from the existing QR3 to QR3.50.
The increasing cost of vehicles, fuel, spare parts and other related costs have forced the company to consider a raise in the tariffs, he added. " We have been trying to continue with the existing fares but the inflation in the country has made a hike inevitable," said Ansari.
Currently the company is operating about 2,000 taxis, including those serving the Doha International Airport. Last week, it added 150 new taxis to its fleet of 100 taxis exclusively serving the airport.
"During summer there is an increased demand for airport taxis from people going on vacation. We are using the service of ordinary taxis as well to meet this demand," he said.
Ansari said, the special taxis for the disabled will hit the roads very soon. These taxis have been launched in cooperation with the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, which, last week organised an exhibition of three such vehicles at the Landmark Mall.
© The Peninsula 2007
