By Faten Omar

KUWAIT: In many modern cities, cars are necessary to get around easily. Kuwait has a strong car culture and is known for its love of high-end luxury cars. The country has one of the highest per capita car ownership rates in the world, where passenger cars per 1,000 people reached 445 vehicles in 2019, according to the Central Statistical Bureau, with Kuwait ranking 29th among 135 countries.

Car culture is a significant part of Kuwaiti society. However, traffic jams are still a major issue in certain parts of the country, especially during rush hours. Although public transportation is available, it is considered inconvenient and a social stigma by many.

Jassim Al-Awadhi

Founder of Kuwait Commute Jassim Al-Awadhi, who promotes an initiative to bring awareness about the public transportation system and the overall unpleasant traffic situation in Kuwait, told Kuwait Times: "Public transportation has many benefits. It reduces arrival time, reduces accidents and makes people focus more on the road, as well as increasing natural traffic."

Awadhi said people must demand a better transportation system. "We must create proper public transportation. People suffer in some areas where there is no public transportation service, as the bus network is not expanding and does not reach many areas," he said. "Usually on the GPS, the distance is faster by car than the bus, but GPS does not count the time taken to find parking spots amid the current parking crisis, as it may take time to search for car parks in Kuwait City," explaining the bus takes 35 minutes to reach its destination and the car takes 20 minutes. But while the bus arrives exactly after 35 minutes, the car trip takes longer to conclude.

Awadhi affirmed the new generation are the ones who demand better public transportation. "One of them told me that transportation is more comfortable and better and is stress-free, as the pressure of driving and the time spent for obtaining a driving license cause inconvenience," he said. "When people experience public transportation with me, they are always surprised by the cleanliness of the buses, and it exceeds their expectations," he added.

During the survey of the 'Kuwait Commute' initiative, Awadhi noted there are a lot of people willing to accept the use of public transportation, as 2,179 people interacted with the questionnaire consisting of 17 questions and 1,210 followers commented on the topic. In 2022, there was an increase in the number of vehicles, reaching 2,422,223, with total valid driving licenses reaching 1,655,408.