Journey by Bus in Muscat

nice new buses to attract passengers.

The bright red Mwasalat buses are on the roads and this weekend it was good to take a free ride (free until end of November).

mwasalat ruwi al mabelah
mwasalat ruwi al mabelah

To allow old and disabled people easy access the bus lowers at each stop. The doors may open with a push button, but after several attempts by me the driver kindly opened them to let me in.

bus ticket mwasalat
bus ticket mwasalat

Although at the moment its a free journey the driver, who also acts as the ticket issuer, handed out a nice glossy printed ticket, stamped ‘Promotion offer Free’.

The front 12 seats are priority for ladies and families; the bus has a total passenger capacity of 68 (39 Sitting, 28 standing and 1 wheelchair).

Oman Bus
Oman Bus

From Ruwi to Mabelah the route before the airport is straight along the principal through route in Muscat with the stops still using the familiar original locations of 20/30 years ago. A simple press button alerts the driver he should stop at the next bus stop, and a TV screen flashes up the bus will stop. I hope the new buses (these are from from the Dutch VDL Bus & Coach Company) are a success which results in more capacity, routes and stopping locations as they have no stop in Qurum for Sabco/City Centre area.

Author: Tony Walsh

Book author including the current Bradt guide to Oman