The Cars Transport Corporation, Bahrain’s main bus operator, which carries around 30,000 people a day, is planning to increase that to 100,000 in the near future, said a top official.

It is now in talks with the government to properly regulate the public transport sector and increase the number of routes it operates, said its Bahrain partner company A A Bin Hindi Group president and chief executive officer Ahmed Bin Hindi.

'There is great potential in Bahrain and we have been talking to the government to introduce and enforce regulations in public transport,' he told our sister publication, the Gulf Daily News.

'There is some effort now to introduce regulations and we hope we can have it on the ground soon.'

Bin Hindi said the company now carries around 30,000 passengers per day but plans to introduce more routes to carry around 70,000 passengers per day and gradually increase that to 100,000.

'There are now 600 bus stops in Bahrain, but many are not serviced due to unviable routes,' he said. 'Once the sector is regulated, we will have more buses and more passengers.'

Bin Hindi said a better public transport system would save people time and resources as well as contribute to the protection of the environment - with the company ready to introduce more routes and buses.

'One bus carries a maximum of around 80 passengers so that translates to at least 20 cars less on the road,' he said. 'We are only waiting for the government to give the green light.'

Set up in 2003 in association with Dubai-based CARS, the company also took over the public transport service previously provided by the Public Transport Department of the then Transportation Ministry.

It operates a fleet of 50-seater air conditioned Mercedes buses and Toyota mini buses, equipped with electronic route display boards, air curtains at the entrance and automated ticketing machines.

Bin Hindi said the company had achieved high levels of Bahrainisation among its 100 plus workforce, including the drivers.

'Besides assuring better frequency and flexibility in timings these buses also boast trained drivers and staff who maintain friendly relations with passengers,' he said. – TradeArabia News Service