The rising mercury level is prompting many people to avoid travelling by public buses during the day.
This is primarily due to the absence of covered shelters in most places, say passengers.
Many bus stops which otherwise remain busy are now deserted even though bus services are being run as usual.
Even within the Industrial Area, where the demand for Karwa bus services is generally high, the number of passengers during the day has fallen sharply – particularly between 8am and 3pm, say sources.
“Waiting under the sun for a bus is quite unbearable these days,” said a Karwa smartcard holder.
“Sometimes we have to wait for a long time before a bus arrives. This is something bus users like me cannot afford to do now as we may fall ill due to the scorching heat.”
Some also say buses are inconvenient because they have to walk a fair distance to reach their destination from a bus stop. They opt to use taxis as they can get off at their places of choice.
Commuters look for shared cabs that are available at many key locations in Doha.
One such place is the Doha Bus Station (DBS) in the heart of the city. A busy transport hub otherwise, the number of passengers has dropped at the DBS, too, during the day.
“It’s been really hot over the last few days. While the bus station does have a covered waiting area, many passengers prefer using the shared taxis. By doing so, they can save time and also reach their destination quickly. Finding passengers for shared taxis is usually not a problem,” said another commuter.
The demand for covered bus shelters – as well as air-conditioned ones – has been reiterated by commuters on a number of occasions. While announcements on better facilities at bus stops have been made in the past, the situation on the ground has not improved much, say passengers.
Covered bus shelters have come up in some areas but these are inadequate, they point out.
Mowasalat sources say it is not possible to build covered bus shelters on many roads due to major infrastructure development works.
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