Doha, Feb 1 (Gulf Times): The public transport company Mowasalat has made it mandatory for people travelling by its buses to use the newly-introduced Karwa smartcards from February 21.
The decision to stop accepting cash for tickets was taken by the company in view of the increasing popularity of the smartcards, it said in a statement. It said more passengers were using the cards now.
“However, as mentioned at the November 23 launch of the smartcards, the cash payment system will continue until February 20,” it said.
Karwa smartcards cost QR30 each, of which QR20 can be used instantly, while the remaining amount will be stored in the cards until an accumulative top-up level of QR300 is reached. At that point, the company will issue cards worth QR300.
Cards and top-up facility are available at the Karwa Bus Station and also at several outlets across the country.
The advantage with cards is that the passengers need to pay only for the distance travelled on each trip. For example, if a passenger gets down at a point before the maximum limit of the minimum fare of QR3 is reached as is the case now, his journey may cost him less. The exact fare for the journey will be known when he swipes the card in the machine installed near the door. In other words, smartcard holders enjoy the benefit of paying only for the distance covered, using the check in/check out system.
The company said in many cities around the world, this kind of plastic cards, with an embedded state-of-the-art microchip that reads and writes data in real terms are in use for bus journeys.
It said passengers without a smartcard will still be allowed to travel if they pay a “no-card fee” of QR10 per trip.
The company decision will see a boost in the sale of the cards, an official said.
A senior Mowasalat official said even those on short visits could buy smartcards for bus journeys. “In short, smartcards will become a regular feature among the country’s residents in the coming days,” he said.
Responding to complaints that people faced difficulties in buying the cards, the official said they would be sold at more outlets, besides at the Central Bus Station near Alfardan Centre.