Taxi services in Qatar have improved considerably since the launch of the Karwa taxi app in January this year, figures provided by Mowasalat show.
The company also said in a statement yesterday that 65% of taxis are currently fitted with the new tamper-proof meters and all cabs operated by Karwa and the franchisees will have the new meters by 2017.
While some 40,000 orders for taxis were executed in January, the number rose to 88,000 in May through the use of the mobile app as well as Karwa’s call centre service, Mowasalat said, noting that the execution rate for call orders was roughly 98%.
A passenger can get a taxi within a maximum of 15 minutes in case of instant hiring, the Mowasalat statement noted. Customers also get drivers’ details through the application and SMS, which enables them to identify the car assigned to them.
The company has stressed that more features are being added to enhance customer satisfaction.
It was also observed that Karwa taxis are now equipped with tamper-proof meters and the vehicles operate under the company’s unified call centre. The operations are backed by services such as GPS tracking, despatch, metered receipt, speed monitoring of drivers and seat sensor, among others.
The company’s quality control team monitors drivers and vehicles 24/7, the statement said. Cabbies’ behaviour and adherence to traffic rules are observed - and controlled - to a large extent and yearly refresher courses from the Karwa driving school play a key role in improving their services.
The company registers complaints, suggestions and feedback from every customer and necessary action is taken based on the nature of each case.
Further, the company has said Karwa replaces its taxis once in two years. It replaced 330 of its old cars with new Camry taxis last week, it said, adding: “We also refurbished our entire fleet a year ago.” One taxi is used twice a day and the driver on duty also ensures timely car wash, refuelling and interior cleanup before leaving for work.
The company has asserted that its driver recruitment procedures are in line with the standards stipulated by the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs and the same apply to its franchisees as well.
The firm also endeavours to maintain a unified labour contract and bring drivers who will pay heed to customer service and comply with different laws, customs and traditions, for which they are trained prior to their first trip, the statement noted.
Mowasalat has said its statement comes in response to reports on various complaints pertaining to taxi and bus services in the country. The company has sought public support to resolve complaints and effectively deliver its services to the satisfaction of customers.
Mowasalat’s contact numbers are 800-taxi (8294), 800-Limo (5466) and 800-ride, and the website is www.Mowasalat.com


Bus routes modified to meet demand
Mowasalat has stressed that it has extended and modified some of its public bus routes since the beginning of the year on the basis of  demand and number of travellers. The waiting time for buses has been reduced to 12 minutes and the frequency of services has been increased to make them more reliable, it said in a statement yesterday.
While noting that more bus shelters will be set up for the benefit of commuters, the company has said it is currently unable to provide this facility at a number of places due to ongoing road and infrastructure works.
The statement also referred to the issue of buses blocking roads. The company has attributed the situation to the practice among many private car owners of occupying bus bays to park their vehicles. “This requires the attention of the authorities to ease the job of a bus driver, which is to drop and pick up passengers, and serve them without incurring fines from the Traffic Police,” it said. Mowasalat has said bus drivers are taught to tackle traffic congestion effectively besides being imparted lessons in customer care.