Minister of Transport H E Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti
The Ministry of Transport will test water taxi in 2022 to determine its efficiency to operate in coastal areas of the country such as Al Matar, Lusail and Dafna.
“The water taxi will be tested in 2022 as our goals are to meet Qatar National Vision 2030,” said Minister of Transport H E Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti.
Speaking on a Qatar TV programme, the minister said that the system of water taxi aims at proving alternative mode of transportation like Doha Metro and buses. He added that Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) was tested, which is a type of bus that carries the specifications of a tram or a train, and the experiment was successful.
He said that this type of bus will be used during FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and represents a real legacy indicating that it will be used to transport passengers to Al Bait Stadium and some other areas such as Mesaieed and Dukhan.
“FIFA Arab Cup Qatar was an important experiment to test the efficiency of the transport system, as 200 electric-powered buses were used during the tournament,” the minister said, adding that 800 electric buses will arrive in Qatar in preparation for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
“The Ministry of Transportation launched the electric vehicle strategy to announce its exact specifications in coordination with all concerned authorities, whether it is the General Directorate of Traffic or the General Authority for Specifications and Standardisation,” Al Sulaiti said. He said that the strategy aims at improving the environment by choosing European specifications for cars, buses and diesel trucks, in addition to adopting the highest standards of environmental protection and international specifications, which will be applied mainly at the end of next year.
“A total of 200 electric vehicle chargers will be installed at public places, headquarters of ministries and government agencies,” he said. The minister said that the second phase of Hamad Port has been launched and that Hamad Port operates with the least number of employees and has proven its high efficiency during COVID-19. He added that Hamad Port will witness the inauguration of the visitor centre and the centre will represent a destination for school students.
“The ministry in coordination with other partners was assigned to build strategic food security storage facility at Hamad Port, one of the largest in the region for basic food items such as rice, sugar and edible oil for three million people,” said the minister. He indicated that the competent authority will soon announce a tender to operate the facility and the project is expected to be complete during the next year.
