Your complete guide for transportation in Qatar
For many years the only transportation seen in Qatar was your own car! If you didn’t own one, you would ultimately have to resort to a taxi and bear the plight of high fares. Fortunately, a few ago, Qatar’s transportation system elevated and grew from Karwa Taxis, to Karwa buses and finally to the Doha Metro along with many other travel options.
Following are the types of transportation options available in Qatar:
Doha Metro
Doha Metro, a crucial component of the Qatar Rail network, links various capital city suburbs and neighboring towns. There are elevated and underground stations, and the Msheireb station connects the three lines. There are three lines of the Doha metro namely the green line, the red line and the gold line. You easily reach destinations such as Villaggio Mall, Souq Waqif, Lusail Marina, Qatar National Library and so on with ease using these lines on the Doha Metro.
Click here for complete information on how to use Doha Metro, Metrolink and Metroexpress.
Timings: Saturday to Wednesday: 6 am- 11 pm
Thursday: 6 am – 11:59 pm
Friday: 2 pm – 11:59 pm
Price: Standard - Single journey – QAR 2, Day pass – QAR 6, Travel Card cost – QAR 10
Goldclub - Single journey – QAR 10, Day pass – QAR 30, Travel Card cost – QAR 100
Website: Doha Metro
Download the Qatar Rail App here: Google Play, Apple Store
Trams
Qatar has three main tram services operating in:
1) Msheireb Downtown
2) Education City
3) Lusail City
This service makes it very convenient for people to move around places where the metro isn’t accessible. The tram vehicles that run on electricity are air-conditioned and have special glass panels that filter light. Buses struggle in heavy traffic, but trams do better. They are also significantly more efficient in terms of road usage as one train replaces around 40 cars which take up a far larger area of road space.
Karwa Taxi
The sole distinction between them is the color of their roof, which makes them easily recognizable due to their turquoise green color and the Karwa insignia. Additionally, all Karwa taxis have automatic tamper-proof meters installed. You may quickly hail one by making a straight reservation through the Karwa Taxi app or by calling 800-TAXI (8294). Within Doha, flag fall rates for Karwa taxis start at QR 4 and QR 1.6 per km, while QR 1.90 per km is charged outside of Doha.
Price: QAR 4 and QAR 1.6 per km (within Doha)
QAR 1.90 per km (outside Doha)
Website: Karwa Taxi
Download the app here: Google Play, Apple Store
Karwa Buses
Doha and other important locations are connected by the public air-conditioned vehicle known as the Karwa Bus. The main provider of transportation services in Qatar, government-owned Mowasalat, runs the buses.
There are currently more than 50 routes available, with the first buses running at 4 am and the final ones leaving around 11 night. According to Mowasalat, the majority of the routes depart from the Doha Bus Station nearby the Gold Souq.
Wheelchair accessibility is offered on most bus models. Mowasalat suggests that users obtain the "KARWA Smart Card," a ticketless, cashless card.
Price: Classic Card - long-term rechargeable card which costs QAR 30.
Limited Card - two journeys within 24-hrs of purchase and costs QAR 10.
Unlimited Card - unlimited journeys but only within 24-hrs of purchase and costs QAR 20.
Website: Karwa Buses
Download the App here: Google Play, Apple Store
Uber
Among the ride hailing apps, Uber is particularly used in Qatar. An American company called Uber Technologies, Inc. offers mobility as a service, enabling customers to reserve a vehicle and driver for transportation in a manner akin to a taxi. Uber lets you reserve the following types of transportation: UberX, Comfort, and UberXL. UberX's starting fare is QR 8. The distance, the time of day when it is busiest, and the amount of traffic will all affect the ultimate fare. Uber rides can be purchased with a credit card, debit card, PayPal, cash, or Uber Cash.
Price: Starts from QAR 8
Website: Uber Qatar
Download the app here: Google Play, Apple Store
Careem
Careem is an extremely affordable ride-hailing application. Its service is effective and makes transportation simple and convenient. Careem offers the Comfort, Max, Cruiser, and CareemGO. Cash, a credit or debit card, and Careem Pay are all accepted by Careem. Based on the demand for rides at different times of the day, Careem's prices change.
Price: Starts from QAR 7.5
Website: Careem Qatar
Download the app here: Google Play, Apple Store
Rent a car
In Qatar, there are numerous rental agencies that run a variety of automobiles. The only decision you have to make is between a small or medium saloon, an SUV, or a premium car.
The cost of renting a car varies according on the make and type of the car, and rates are determined using daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly agreements.
Al Muftah Rent a Vehicle, Salik, Auto Z Rental, and others are a few of Qatar's well-known car rental businesses.
Rent e-Scooters
Electric scooters, often known as e-scooters, are becoming more and more common in Qatar. There are numerous new businesses and organizations offering various transportation options to the locals. Due to e-scooter rental applications, which function similarly to ride-hailing apps like Uber and Careem, dockless E-scooters can be rented per minute on-demand in Qatar for brief journeys. Riders are obliged to wear helmets and follow all traffic safety laws.
E-scooter rental firms include Loop Mobility, Falcon Ride, Fenix, and others. The Corniche, West Bay, Lusail, Katara, Pearl Qatar, among many other locations, offer this facility.
Price: Prices start from QAR 25 to QAR 100 (varies for each e-scooter rental company)
Rent Bicycles
Apart from the various transport options available in Qatar, one of the most fun and healthiest ways is to cycle. Qatar has many roads that have cycle pathways that make cycling safe and enjoyable. Some of the companies that offer bicycles on rent are Pick and ride, Falcon, Saikl and so on.
Sila
With a host of transport options available, sometimes you tend to get confused as to which option to choose from that serves your travel plan best, in terms of speed, price and convenience.
Your one-stop solution to this issue is none other than Sila. Sila brings together different modes of public transport into a single network and also offers a mobile app.
The Sila app inlcudes the following features:
- A journey planner to assist travelers in choosing the times, types of transportation, and routes that work best for them while giving real-time navigation
- Information about the locations, routes, and timings of public transportation stations
- A function that allows users to track their flights that aids in route planning to and from the airport.
- Account registration enables travelers to customize the route planner by saving their preferred excursions and locations within the State of Qatar.
- Current information on Sila
- A calendar of events in Qatar, including with directions for visitors using the networked public transportation system
The app will include several initiatives, including integrated payment methods, the introduction of new services and transport modes, and promotion of the public transportation system through public awareness and marketing campaigns to reach a broad audience within Qatar. Currently, it has metro, tram, bus and taxi services installed on the app. The app will be released in phases.
Website: Sila
Download the app here: Google Play, Apple Store
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