Students’ confusion and struggles with public transport in Kuwait

Students’ confusion and struggles with public transport in Kuwait

By Zaid Aboobacker

KUWAIT: Many students in Kuwait are left confused and dissatisfied with the public transport system. They struggle not only with issues related to accessing buses and free-ride policies, but also face the risk of falling victim to taxi scams. Students lack proper awareness of bus fee policies and encounter difficulties with free-ride policies due to the lack of resources to verify the reality of these policies. Kuwait Times reached out to the three primary bus operators in Kuwait — CityBus, KPTC and Mowasalat (KGL) — to inquire about their bus fare policies for students.

Statements were obtained from multiple bus drivers from KPTC. They mentioned that generally, children below the age of 10 can ride free of charge, while students above that age will be asked to show their student ID before riding for free. However, the head office of KPTC stated that the student-free ride policy is a verbal agreement, and they are unaware of any written documentation. Bader, who works at Mowasalat, a private bus company, explained that a similar rule applies to Mowasalat buses, where students can ride for free if they show a valid student ID.

On the other hand, CityBus informed Kuwait Times they do