English abstract
The transport sector is considered one of the most important
sectors in moving people from one place to another with ease. The
population congestion caused transport problems like traffic
congestion in major cities. The public transportation is considered
one of the successful and effective solutions if provided with quality
and modern systems that suit the need of the citizens.
The current study aims to analyze and specify the major obstacles
that face the public government transportation (Mwasalat buses) in
Muscat governorate by using the field observations of the
researcher and a questionnaire of which, 362 responses were
received. The questionnaire aimed to reveal the reasons of not
using the Mwasalat buses in Muscat governorate. Interviews were
also conducted including the (CEO) of the Mwasalat company and
bus drivers. An analysis of the accessibility of stopovers was
carried out using Arc MAP, an actual service range of 400 meters
was determined as an internationally appropriate standard.
The study results, revealed a number of obstacles that contributed
to the reluctance of Omanis of various social strata to use Mwasalat
buses, and the existence of other alternatives for transportation
came as a key factor. The increase in the living standards created
a need to own a private car for different segments of society. The
hot climate came next, followed by the long distance to the bus
stops and the lack of public transport service near the individual.
The spatial analysis of the bus stops also concluded that many of
the stops have low accessibility within a service range of 400
meters, and the majority of them do not serve any of the population
in that range, thus, their presence in that location is useless. The
study came up with many recommendations to alleviate these
obstacles, such as giving more attention to the service and planning
aspects of the sector, and creating an integrated network of public
transport.
