Muscat: During the period January 1 to December 31, 2018, Mawasalat ferried 5.9 million passengers on all its city routes in Muscat and inter-city services, an increase of 30 per cent from the figures of 2017.
The last quarter of 2018 saw an average of 19,000 passenger daily and with 24,000 passengers on Fridays. According to the latest data, Omanis passengers has touched 40 per cent of the total passengers, indicating an increase in local’s awareness to use public transportation.
More than 46,000 passengers used the bus services in Salalah and Sohar in the first days their launch on December 28.
Mawasalat launched public transport services for the first time in Salalah and Suhar on December 28, 2018. More than 46,000 passengers used the services in the first week at the rate of 3,000 passengers per day.
Mawasalat said as per the last survey nearly 40 per cent of the passengers were Omanis.
The number of public transport routes increased to 34, including the one route in Salalah and two routes in Suhar.
The company operated seven new routes of public transport in Muscat in 2018, taking the total number to 15.
Seven new inter-city routes were introduced in 2018, taking the total number to 2018.
The company also started an integrated services with National Ferries to Musandam and Masirah Island.
Mawasalat appointed 360 Omanis during the year 2018, taking the Omanisation rate to 95% and the total number to is 1,231.
In 2018, Mawasalat launched the first solar-powered passenger waiting station in a step that demonstrates the company's keenness to use renewable energy as part of efforts towards preserving the environment.
Mawasalat launched the integrated bus maintenance and service station at Azaiba, which serves the company's 500 public transport buses of different sizes and uses. The station will create additional 200 direct jobs for Omanis during the coming period.
It plans to launch a mobile application in the first half of 2019, which will include electronic reservation systems, subscriptions bus tracking systems that allow the user to track the bus until it arrives.
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