​Mwasalat slashes airport taxi fares

Oman Monday 24/December/2018 13:22 PM
By: Times News Service
​Mwasalat slashes airport taxi fares

Muscat: Mwasalat taxi has announced that airport taxi fares will be reduced starting from January 1, 2019.
According to the company, the change comes in accordance “with public demand and suggestions”.
Officials revealed that from Sunday to Thursday, between 6am and 10pm, the base fare will be OMR2.5. “Customers will be charged 300 baisas for every km (from 1 km to 30 km),” the company announced on Monday.
The price has been reduced from OMR3, while the price per km has been slashed from 400 baisas.
In the evenings, from 10pm to 6am, Sunday to Thursday, during weekends and public holidays the baseline for the meter will begin at OMR3 and customers will be charged 300 baisas for every km (from 1 km to 30 km).
The old price for the same was OMR3.6 and customers were being charged 450 baisas up to 30 km. Earlier this year, the base fare for airport taxis was slashed by 50 per cent, when Mwasalat began its taxi services.
From OMR6, the fares were brought down to OMR3.
Mwasalat Taxi is part of the Oman National Transport Company. During the first half of 2018, the number of trips by the taxi service reached more than 100,000 amounting to 600 trips a day. Residents are, however, happy the fares have come down. “Earlier, the fare was steep. Now, I think this has become affordable for everyone,” Sunil, an Indian expat, said.
Another expat said that many people will opt for taxis instead of bus services. “I think people will go for taxis if they are carrying too much luggage,” K Sharma, another Indian expat, said.
Edward Weekes, a British expat living in the country, said, “The advantage of the Mwasalat taxi is that you can hire one for a day and see many parts of the country. I have some friends coming over this year, and the lower fares make things more affordable.”
Cyril Ramos, a Filipino national, said, “It’s a good move because my friends and I share a taxi to work in the morning. This will make it easier for us.”