DOHA: Bus passengers in Qatar will be able to save up to 33 percent on fares for short-distance trips with the introduction of prepaid smart cards for payment of fares.
Mowasalat is all set to introduce the new system in all its public buses by the end of this year. The manual ticketing system will be phased out soon after the electronic cards are introduced.
The Karwa smart cards will be launched in collaboration with a Turkish company, Kentkart.
"We are in the final stages of the preparations. All the public buses have already been fitted with the new system. We expect to launch the service by the end of this year," Mowasalat's business development manager, Ahmed Al Ansari, said at a press conference yesterday.
With the introduction of the new system, the minimum fares on public buses will be effectively reduced to QR2 from the existing QR3. Through a check in/ check out system (CICO), the smart card will calculate the least possible amount based on the distance travelled by the passenger.
The fares will start from QR2 and additional amounts will be added based on the distance travelled. However, the fares on a particular route will not exceed the existing maximum fare -- QR3 on most routes. The total amount will be deducted from the card when the passenger checks out of the bus.
Passengers will be required to swipe the card against an electronic machine installed near the driver's seat as they board and alight from the bus. When they check out using the card, they will be able to see the balance amount on the machine.
"It is a cash-less, easy-to-use system offering quality service. The passenger can swipe the card just by bringing it in the proximity of the machine. The customer can start riding the bus anytime, anywhere in Qatar's current 45 bus routes," said Sheldon Cowie, planning manager, mass transit at Mowasalat.
The new system, equipped with real-time GPRS and GPS technology, will also help in collecting data about the number of passengers on various routes and monitoring the movement of buses on the roads.
The cards will soon be made available in various denominations starting from QR30. If a customer buys a QR30 card, QR20 will be immediately available for use while the remaining QR10 will be added to the customer's account after he or she accumulates 300 points from bus travel.
Top-ups for the cards will be available for amounts starting from QR10. The Karwa smart cards will have lifetime validity. However, the top-ups will have to be used within a certain period of time.
The cards as well as the top-ups will be available at kiosks to be set up in various parts of the country.
"We have identified locations for 100 kiosks. Top-up terminals will be set up at selected kiosks," said Tim Garcia from the product and purchase department of Mowasalat.
The company is currently working on solutions to address situations when a card is lost by the passenger or it runs out of money.
Mowasalat will soon launch a promotion-cum-awareness campaign to familiarise the public with the new system.
© The Peninsula 2010
