A complimentary shuttle service by a fleet of more than 400 buses is attracting praise from the thousands of delegates, from across the world, attending the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference
(COP18/CMP8).
The initial hiccups regarding transportation have been ironed out as Qatar’s largest ever conference moves into day six today.
The event, expected to be attended by up to 17,000 participants from 194 countries, will conclude on December 7.
“I have attended a number of COP meetings in several countries and the best shuttle service I have experienced is in Qatar,” an African delegate said while seated in a bus to the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC), the venue of the conference, from his hotel.
The shuttle bus service runs between 32 hotels that have been selected as conference shuttle hubs, and the official venues.
At QNCC, buses from the 32 hubs are led to two parking bays, one for hubs 1 to 16 and another for hubs 17 to 32.
All leading hotels in Doha are within a few minutes’ walk of one of the “hub hotels”. While many of the delegates are staying in these hotels, those staying in other hotels can walk within not more than 10 minutes to the nearest hub.
“The weather is really pleasant, so walking for 10 or 15 minutes is not an issue,” said a delegate who has to walk nearly 10 minutes at a leisurely pace to reach the nearest hub from his hotel.
Buses run every 20 minutes at peak times from all hubs, and hourly through the night. Shuttle buses go to both the QNCC, as well as the Doha Exhibition Centre, which is hosting the Qatar Sustainability Expo.
In addition, the conference participants are also offered free ‘hop-on hop-off’
sightseeing trips.
The fleet, described as ‘a dedicated tourism bus line,’ takes participants to Doha’s main attractions.
Buses depart every half hour, between 10am and 4pm, for the duration of the conference.
The first stop is The Pearl Qatar, an artificial island constructed in the shape of a string of pearls, in homage to Qatar’s pearl-diving history.
Visitors will be able to take a stroll around the marina, indulge themselves with some retail therapy at the luxury clothing stores and choose a meal from a wide range of
international cuisines.
The next stop will be Katara the Cultural Village Foundation, with its opera house, an open air amphitheatre, handicraft souq and host of
restaurants and cafes.
The next stop on the free bus tour will be Qatar Sustainability Expo, being held at Doha Exhibition Centre until December 7, when COP18/CMP8 also concludes. The expo showcases environmentally friendly
programmes and initiatives.
Other stops on the bus route include the Museum of Islamic Art, which has an impressive collection of Islamic artefacts, from jewellery to ceramics.
The final stop of the bus tour will be Souq Waqif, a traditional Qatari market where visitors can barter for local goods, visit the falcons and relax with some tea.