Initiative urges public, private sectors to develop mass transportation in Kuwait

Initiative urges public, private sectors to develop mass transportation in Kuwait

By Faten Omar

KUWAIT: Taking the bus has personal, environmental and societal benefits. Riding the bus can improve health, reduce air pollution, lead to fewer traffic jams and help the economy. Jassim Al-Awadhi, founder of the Kuwait Commute initiative, works to raise awareness about the public transport system in the country to implement a feasible and executable solution to improve Kuwait’s rapidly escalating traffic issues.

In an interview with Kuwait Times, Awadhi affirmed that he aims to develop Kuwait’s bus facilities to keep pace with the development and progress of high-quality world-class systems, along with encouraging citizens to use public transport instead of cars.

“Buses routes in Kuwait are only suitable for workers, as the service is focused only on routes with a passenger density that enables bus operators to profit, which results in a lack of buses in high- and middle-class residential areas because it is unprofitable for them. Public transport is a public service that requires subsidies, which makes systems in Japan, London, Paris and Singapore successful. Also, there is no active central authority to regulate, support and provide the necessary infrastructure for the public transport sector and control the quality of service. The service must be provided to and target