Qatar Taxis
What are the taxis like in Doha and elsewhere in Qatar? First, do they use meters (argos) to charge you for the distance traveled, or is every ride a bartering session?
Are there any established brands that are known for safety and fairness? Alternatively, should some taxi brands be avoided?
Some people have posted here that taxis are hard to find in Doha. How do the telephone-ordered & radio-dispatched taxis work - on time and okay?
Thanks.
Topless on the Street...
Ok now that you are here answer my above question ...lol
muker...... Karwa limousine ?
Do they have one?
By limousine I mean the Long Luxury car (usually Black) and not a normal ordinary Sedan/Saloon car. Because till now I have spotted only 2 or 3 such vechicles.
Karwa is just the organization, it's actually three different companies within it.
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Case in point:
Last business trip my husband had to take.
He ordered Fox limo to pick him up at our villa and deliver him to the airport (because Karwa had not shown up 2 previous times) Fox was late, but did finally come. Cost was 40QR from our villa to airport.
When he came back from trip took a Karwa taxi from the airport to our villa. Cost was 48QR. so limo was cheaper.
i just spoke with karwa as i m planning to rent a limo for my anniversdary for couple of hours, lol rate is 300 riyals for 1 hour, and if u get it for 8 hour its 2000 riyal and for 12 hours its like 2400 riyals, i can only afgford one hour in this lol
Karwa Taxis are a Premium Brand ……You can never find a similar Taxi Service in the entire world. May I repeat “Entire World”!!!
1. Every Taxi here is equipped with a GPS device. But none of the drivers seem to know their way. Usually they know but they pretend not to know the way and take the passenger on the longest route to the destination.
2. Be sure to know the way before hand. And give them precise direction. Instruct them to ask you “which way?” when you reach a roundabout. Else they take the longer route. The first thing they ask you is “Do you know the way?” If you don’t know the way be sure of a long ride. The second thing they ask is “Are you new in Doha?”
3. Be sure to carry change. If you don’t have exact change the fare is rounded off to the driver’s advantage (since they don’t carry candies as in shopping malls here).
4. One time I called a taxi over the phone at 12 noon they answered “they are completely booked and the earliest is at 4pm!”……go figure.
5. They have onboard radio communication system to communicate with the Central Karwa control room but most just switch the damn thing off!
6. After the Land Cruisers it’s the Karwa Taxis that drive aggressively. If you spot one you better keep an eye on it. You might spot it on the Left side of your car trying to budge in and then in a blink of an eye he is on the right side trying the same trick.
7. They even try to threaten the passenger if they find he is new and gullible. If he does take the receipt, ask his name, take down the time & his vehicle no and report it to Karwa.
8. I still don’t understand why they keep recruiting from “Right-hand-Drive” countries like India & Nepal when they ought to recruit from “Left-Hand-Drive” countries. At least it will lower the training time.
9. The Charges are uniform in the City or out side the City. The minimum is QR4. The QR keeps ticking as the meter ticks. Usually if you travel short distance you pay around QR 10 to Qr15. If you travel longer within the City it usually is around Qr25 approx. I have personally held these charges as way too expensive because the cost of ownership of a car here is quite cheap, more so if the company has its own Maintenance crew.
Also refer :- http://www.qatarliving.com/node/91886
normal charge start from 4.00 Q.R when you get in and they will charge you 1.25 Q.R per kilo ... not sure about the booked ones or some of the special ones that will charge extra ...
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. (Gautama Buddha)
I Think the karwa has all good taxi.. But nowadays some Drivers has started to Cheat People.. When they are in Doha City The Meter should be 1. and when we are going outside doha it should be 0. b,coz in City also they are charging Out City Charges.
Beaware ... TC
Yes I think the price had increased twice since last November.
And another thing, you need to call them many hours in advance because sometimes they ran out of operator to answer your call or there is no taxi avaiable at the time you want especially during office hours.
I've found them to be terribly unreliable with times pick-ups. Hey, has anyone had an experience with price rises on the privarte limos at the Sheraton? Took a limo last weekend and the trip that normally costs 50 riyals had been increased to 75 riyals in one swoop. It was all laminated on the price list and everything, but that is a huge increase at one time.
oh Ya, i forgot to tell that, i have travelled in karwa many times, they take you to heaven without passports and visa's so easily. Happy taxi ing...
Sorry to say, Karwa is the only taxi company in Qatar and no other choice. But from experience they are always on time when you call.
They are. Call 458 8888. Or hail one closest to where you are on the road. Cheers!
But sometimes, they ran out of receipts! Haha
First of all u wont find any taxis, talking about price is later lol. They use meters. They are like metros u can call them aswell, "IF" they have any taxis.
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No human can stop racism.
Quality of taxi's are good since most of them are relatively new.
Yes, they use meters, , u have to pay what is fixed. There is no bartering required unless u r driving in an illegal taxi.
There is only one brand in Qatar so far, which is called KARWA
Yes taxis are hard to find, have no experience with radio despatched taxis as I have my own car but heard people complaining that they are usually late or never arrive at all.
so long and happy taxi...ing?
Metered Taxis are are operated by a co. named KARWA
You can book a call taxi by dialling : 4588888, Meter starts at Qr.4/- for the first km and for every 50 metres an additional Qr.0.25 dirhams and finally an additional Qr.4 if car is booked in advance.
Karwa has limousines too, Meter starts with Qr.15/- and Qr.10 for advance booking. Wait for the other QLer's to respond too, im not accurate with the rates...
All Taxis are licensed and they are all same colour, there is usally a minimum charge, from the airport to home etc.
Best thing to do is collect a couple of cards from drivers you like (Ie are clean, courteous etc) and give them a call when you want a lift, I've found the couple of guys I've used always willing for a bit of business, if they are busy they recommend a colleague.
The company is called Karwa, the taxis are turquoise/light green color and the tel is 4588888.
You can order one by phone, but in the morning or evening (main traffic times) you will not get one most of the times...
Anyway, you gotta order some hours in advance. Once you ordered one, they are reliable.
Only one Company running Taxis in Doha: Karwa and they use meter.