SALALAH, JUNE 6 - The news of introduction of Mwasalat city bus services in Salalah has been well received by the tour operators, hoteliers local residents and tourists. They called it a welcome move and a much awaited decision which would help build a new dimension in the public transport system in the city. The government-owned company has decided to launch city service on the pattern of Muscat initially on three Salalah routes in 2018 to improve public transport in cities outside Muscat.
“Since Salalah is getting attention from international tourists and every passing year some new charters are added to the destination, it is pertinent to improve public transport system in the city. The visitors would have more options to explore, indulge in the city and be satisfied that they managed to see whatever they wanted to, do shopping and take true memories of the city and the country,” said Ahmed Aufari, Branch Manager of Zahra Touurs in Salalah.
Commenting on the yellow taxis being operated in the city, he said, those taxis were not enough to meet the requirements of a city which is gaining international attention.
“First of all, they are not available all the time, they do not have fixed timings and there are tourists who love to explore the destination on their own,” he said.
He made a good point on number of accidents that take place on Salalah routes during Khareef season.
He expects fall in rate of accidents after Mwasalat launch as many people come to Salalah in their own vehicles only due to the fact that options of public transport here is very less. Samer Khair, General Manager of Salalah Marriott Resort, called it a good move from tourism and hospitality points of view.
“Good public transport is one of the parameters to judge a city. This gives visitors liberty to move around… Good for us hoteliers to tell our guests that the city has one of the best public transport systems.”
Not sure about the routes on which Mwasalat is going to operate in Salalah, Khair called for inclusion of Taqah and Mirbat on Mwasalat services due to many tourism sites located in both the places and a large number of tourists staying there in hotels.
Vishvanath Ranasinghe, General Manager of Al Fawaz Tours, welcomed the move by saying that transport system is a super structure of any important destination. “It not only caters to the needs of the residents and visitors, it gives a boost to the city in terms of expansion and development.”
“Since I am associated with tourism business, I see lot of convenience to the tourists in visiting banks, money exchanges and restaurants. There are many charter tourists who do not have transport included in their package, they would certainly be very happy over the news,” said Ranasinghe.
A strong network of public transport is needed not only to cater to the needs of local residents but also to reduce traffic congestion in the city. Due to expansion of the city in the east and west, more and more vehicles are hitting Salalah roads.
“Mwasalat would certainly reduce traffic congestion,” said Abdullah who has built a new house in Awqad. Hailing the Mwasalat move, Mehdi Othmani, GM of Hilton Salalah Resort, said, “Salalah is no more the small city. Today it has become a world destination with its unique weather, international hotel chains with amazing beaches, a state of the art airport, exclusive road infrastructure, shopping malls with the most renewed brands… and my take is that there is no better time than this to start a public transport service in Dhofar Governorate.”
“For a more enjoyable experience, I suggest Mwasalat to consider offering return, weekly/monthly, or off-peak bus tickets, as they are often significantly cheaper than single ride tickets and this will indeed encourage people to leave their vehicles at home and use public transport, a behaviour that won’t only save them money but also would save and protect the environment from pollution,” he said.
By Kaushalendra Singh
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