* 2,400 school buses prepared to ferry students
* Social distancing to be ensured on board school buses with help of school superviser
* All preventive measures put in line to ensure safe transportation on public and school buses
* Unaccompanied children under 12 years and people with medical conditions or chronic illnesses not allowed on public buses
Mowasalat (Karwa) has confirmed its readiness to operate public and school transport services from Tuesday, as the fourth phase of the gradual lifting of Covid-19 precautionary measures gets under way.
It was recently announced that public transit – buses and Metro – can resume services at 30% of their capacity from September 1 while putting in place a number of Covid-19 precautionary and preventive measures.
On this occasion, Mowasalat (Karwa) chairman Dr Saad bin Ahmed al-Mohannadi said: “We are confident in our excellent capabilities to resume operating our services in line with the timing set by the State, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC), and other authorities concerned.
“Mowasalat (Karwa) has all the capabilities and expertise to provide safe transportation, taking into account passengers' safety and by adhering to precautionary measures to mitigate the spread of the virus in accordance with the recommendations, conditions and health regulations of the Ministry of Public Health and the Supreme Committee for Crisis Management in Qatar."
Mowasalat is also providing the highest precautionary and safety measures on school buses with the beginning of the new school year on Tuesday, through the "implementation of procedures that have been put in place to ensure the safety of our students, which is our top priority, in order to provide them with a safe journey to and from schools", he stressed.
In a statement on Monday, Mowasalat said it has prepared 2,400 school buses to transport students with the start of the new academic year, with full implementation of the precautionary and preventive measures. These include daily sterilisation of buses and temperature screening for students, who are required to wear face masks.
Further, Mowasalat is providing awareness leaflets and videos for the safety of students and their families, and limit the spread of Covid-19. There will be full adherence to the rule on implementing social distancing while seated, which will be done with the help of a school superviser aboard the school bus.
Mowasalat said it has implemented the preventive measures in line with the MoTC's directives on resuming public bus services in Phase 4 to fight the spread of Covid-19 and ensure safe transportation for passengers. These include complete daily sanitisation of public transport buses, conducting Covid-19 tests for all drivers and daily temperature screening to ensure their good health. In addition, Mowasalat drivers are committed to wear face masks during trips.
Public bus services will resume at 30% of their capacity to ensure social distancing. All passengers are to wear face masks, get their temperature screened inside buses and at major bus stations, while also showing the Ehteraz app status before boarding the bus.
Unaccompanied children under the age of 12 years and people with medical conditions or chronic illnesses are not allowed on buses for their own safety, the statement points out.
Mowasalat has provided all technological solutions, which in turn help in the booking and electronic payment processes. They also provide real-time updated information on the daily routes of buses and facilitate taxi booking through the Karwa Taxi app and Karwa Bus app, which are available for Android and iOS users.
