KUWAIT: The buses provided by Kuwait Public Transport Company for the Souq Mubarakiya shuttle service. - Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: To make it easier for visitors of Souq Mubarakiya to access the market, Kuwait Public Transport Company (KPTC) has launched a new shuttle service. Visitors can park their vehicles at free parking lots in four different locations, then head to Mubarakiya by bus free of charge. The service was launched on Nov 14 and will be available till March 2022.

Ohood Al-Maseud, Assistant Director of Marketing, Public Relations and Customer Service at KPTC.

"If we notice a high demand for this service, we may extend it till April or even longer. The buses are available daily from 10:30 am to 10:30 pm. We may also extend the hours during weekends. The buses are for families only, so single males are not allowed to use this service," Ohood Al-Maseud, Assistant Director of Marketing, Public Relations and Customer Service at KPTC, told Kuwait Times.

Six buses ply three routes from four locations. "The first location is the parking lot of Souq Sharq, which is the most popular. The same bus will pass through the second location - Al-Sanabel parking lot, then drop passengers on Ali Al-Salem Street in Mubarakiya," Maseud said.

"The second route begins from the Ministries Complex's parking lot and heads directly to Darwaza Abdulrazzaq on Ahmad Al-Jaber Street in Mubarakiya. The third route picks passengers from the parking lot of Al-Mailam Mosque on Sour Street and drops them on Ali Al-Salem Street," she added.

At all four locations, parking lots are free of charge. "Mubarakiya visitors are relieved from searching for parking spots at the market. They can park their vehicles for free and use the bus service free of charge as well. The interval between each bus is between 5 to 10 minutes. But during weekends and high traffic, the interval may be between 15 to 20 minutes," she noted.

"At each of the locations, there is a stand that includes the bus schedule with timings and the map of each route. Also, it includes photos of the bus, as it's special and different from other transport buses," Maseud explained. The initiative was proposed by Capital Governor Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, who met CEO of KPTC Mansour Al-Saad to realize the idea of this project.

"I would like to thank all those who supported this project for their cooperation, including Kuwait Municipality, Traffic Department of the Ministry of Interior, and Souq Sharq," she said. Maseud also noted that KPTC will soon have a new fleet of buses that will surprise the passengers with their new design, size, services provided onboard, and new routes. "The new buses will provide VIP services for all passengers," she concluded.