Friday 20 / September / 2024
Muscat: Students of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) will be able to save some money following the Oman National Transport Company’s (Mwasalat) decision to introduce bus service for students living in Al Khoudh area from the university’s campus.
“Following the increase in fuel prices, students without cars had no other choice but to pay taxi drivers at least one rial everyday for going to the campus,” Nasser Al Hanai, said head of SQU’s Student Council.
“We used to pay 200 baisas per day to reach the campus but after the hike in fuel prices, taxi drivers have started charging 500 baisas,” said Al Hanai.
During the second quarter of 2016, Mwasalat will launch buses on the route connecting Burj Al Sahwa (Al Khoud) to SQU. The bus will run at an interval of 20 minutes, according to Salim bin Mohammed Al Nuaimi, undersecretary for Transport Affairs, Ministry of Transport and Communications.
The Student Council had conducted a survey among students to study the best and most efficient route to SQU from Al Khoudh area to recommend them later to Mwasalat.
Moreover, Al Hanai said the university will propose granting a special membership to SQU students, who use the Mwasalat service.
Earlier this month, Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications, said Mwasalat has been highly appreciated by the people of Oman. “This is one of the reasons we are expanding our services,” he said on the sidelines of the annual meeting, which takes place at the beginning of every year to review the accomplishments of the previous year and to discuss plans for the new year.
More than 600,000 passengers used the Mwasalat service in the first 70 days of 2016, averaging around 9,000 passengers every day along routes connecting Ruwi to other places.
