OmanPride: Tourists, residents hail Oman’s Marhaba taxis

More sports Wednesday 09/August/2017 19:08 PM
By: Times News Service
OmanPride: Tourists, residents hail Oman’s Marhaba taxis

#ReadersResponse: It’s not just residents in the Sultanate, but also tourists who visit Oman from abroad who’ve praised the Ministry of Transport and Communication’s new Marhaba taxi service. Aimed at providing a convenient mode of transportation for residents and visitors alike, the new taxis, with their blue and white regalia, can now be easily accessed via a convenient app on your phone.

Andrew Allen was one of many to praise the Marhaba taxi service. “As a regular tourist to Oman, I found the Marhaba taxi service very helpful,” he explained. “Before this service was available online, it was practically impossible to find out a realistic fare to certain destinations without a huge debate and/or argument with the driver, it’s much more user friendly for tourists who are unaware of taxi prices in Oman and just want to pay the going rate for a short trip.”

“I have used the Marhaba taxi service four times, and out of the four times I’ve used this, I have always been really happy to use them,” added M.K. Krishnan. “They are prompt, share details by mail and also send you the cost of the trip by mail.” The promptness of service and ease of access was what endeared many to the new Marhaba cabs, which are part of Oman’s attempts to add to its existing transportation and travel facilities as part of the Sultanate’s Tanfeedh directives for economic diversification.

“I have tried it before, it is really practical especially for tourists, who don’t need to bargain all the time,” added Khalid Al Tamimi, while Katie Gillespie-Markus said, “These are really good. They’re also really reliable and cheap.” Waleed Al Hinai was another who did not hesitate to praise the cabs, saying, “Marhaba provides excellent service, and I am happy to be using them all the time,” as was Yusuf Khan, who was more than happy to praise the Marhaba cabs by adding, “normal taxis have disappointed me many times. I am happy to switch to Marhaba.”

Marhaba taxis aside, the Sultanate has also issued new Mwasalat buses to promote inter and intra-city travel across the nation, and with Wi-Fi enabled taxis soon to be a mainstay in the Sultanate, residents will surely only be too happy to use public transport.

Michelle Jason is sure to be one of them, as she said, “I would really like to try the Marhaba taxis soon,” a decision that is sure to be made faster if HM Alamgir’s response is anything to go by. “The Marhaba taxi service is an excellent one and the cabs are very good,” he said.

Saada Al Touqi, on the other hand, was pleased with the safety features offered by the new Marhaba taxis. “It will be very popular with residents and tourists alike because of the safety aspects of it,” she said, with Sabu Varghese simply calling these cabs “excellent”.
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