Expatriate residents of the Umm Slal area have called for better public transport to reach the Industrial Area, Al Khor and different places in Doha, particularly on weekends.
With the Umm Slal municipal area witnessing a steady rise in residential units, especially those occupied by "single workers", residents have urged the authorities to improve bus services to and from the area.
Similar pleas have been made earlier, too, and while the residents acknowledge that some improvements have taken place over the years, the demand is far greater than the supply.
An earlier report in Gulf Times showed that the demand was particularly high for bus services on weekends, when workers go to different places to spend their leisure time.
"The Umm Slal area houses a large number of residential units, especially workers' camps, and more are coming up in some places," said a source familiar with developments in Umm Slal Mohamed and Umm Slal Ali.
"Providing more buses to, from and through the area will not only offer convenient travel options to the residents, but also present an opportunity to run commercially viable services."
A large number of workers living there travel to Asian Town, on the fringes of the Industrial Area, during weekends. "The existing bus services are not enough to cater to this huge demand. More direct bus services are required," a resident said.
Umm Slal is also home to the new central fish market, and this has made it even more important for the area to have better public transport connectivity, the source points out.
A number of workers are employed in the market and they mostly stay in the vicinity. "Besides a section of visitors to the fish market, more bus services will also help cater to the demand generated by the presence of many workers there," the source adds.
There have also been requests from residents for a workers' clinic in the neighbourhood. In the absence of such a facility, workers have to go to health facilities in the Industrial Area or Al Khor. However, that is not easy due to the lack of direct bus services to and from the Industrial Area, according to some residents.
New residential units continue to come up in the area to house workers engaged in major infrastructure development projects, and this will only add to the demand for more public transport facilities, it is learnt.
Similar pleas have been made earlier, too, and while the residents acknowledge that some improvements have taken place over the years, the demand is far greater than the supply.
An earlier report in Gulf Times showed that the demand was particularly high for bus services on weekends, when workers go to different places to spend their leisure time.
"The Umm Slal area houses a large number of residential units, especially workers' camps, and more are coming up in some places," said a source familiar with developments in Umm Slal Mohamed and Umm Slal Ali.
"Providing more buses to, from and through the area will not only offer convenient travel options to the residents, but also present an opportunity to run commercially viable services."
A large number of workers living there travel to Asian Town, on the fringes of the Industrial Area, during weekends. "The existing bus services are not enough to cater to this huge demand. More direct bus services are required," a resident said.
Umm Slal is also home to the new central fish market, and this has made it even more important for the area to have better public transport connectivity, the source points out.
A number of workers are employed in the market and they mostly stay in the vicinity. "Besides a section of visitors to the fish market, more bus services will also help cater to the demand generated by the presence of many workers there," the source adds.
There have also been requests from residents for a workers' clinic in the neighbourhood. In the absence of such a facility, workers have to go to health facilities in the Industrial Area or Al Khor. However, that is not easy due to the lack of direct bus services to and from the Industrial Area, according to some residents.
New residential units continue to come up in the area to house workers engaged in major infrastructure development projects, and this will only add to the demand for more public transport facilities, it is learnt.
