PLANNING THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM IN MUCAT (OMAN)

In Muscat, the capital of Oman with over one million inhabitants, urban public transport practically does not exist and the use of private cars is dramatically increasing. As a result, accident rates and traffic congestion, two particularly pressing concerns in the urban area of the capital, have both risen. This situation has focused the concern of public administrations and has led to the urgent need of developing a Public Transport System in the city In order to develop this system in an integrated manner, the plan proposes to unify and organize regulation and management of public transport by creating a public transport authority, headed by the Ministry of Transport and with a very strong involvement of Muscat Municipality. By 2015 only two urban bus lines operate in Muscat, covering a small area of the city-Wadi Adei, Wadi Kabir and Ruwi. Therefore, the plan adopts a conservative approach by proposing the implementation of a comprehensive urban bus network -composed by trunk and feeder lines adapted to the low density of the city- before establishing other high capacity solutions, such as BRT or LRT. A key element of the system is the number of 13,400 taxis and microbuses that represent the only alternative to the 317,000 cars of Muscat. The plan suggests the reorganization and further regulation of the sector to achieve the professionalization of the taxi services and the migration of existing users, part of them to the professionalised taxi services and the other part to the implemented public transport services.