spiritofistanbul

Hi

I am currently looking for apartments near to my work in West Bay so that I can minimise my commute to work.

The apartments I have seen are around 10-15 mins walk away from the office.

I have heard that in summer there is no way I could walk and would need to either get a taxi or have my own car to travel around (even for the short journeys here and there!)

From what I understand, taxis are really hard to come by and therefore I have been considering renting or buying a car whilst I am there.

The problem is - I am on a 6 month probation period and therefore don't really want to tie myself in long term, nor do I have the cash to buy something new or expensive.

So the question is do I rent or buy used? Or are there more taxis on the roads these days that I wouldn't need a car?

If I rent - I don't ideally want to spend no more than 1800 per month (what could I get for this) and are their any reputable dealers or rental agencies around that anyone could recommend?

Thanks

fezzer

Plenty of people live and work in West bay without a car. Although i guess it depends on the distance you'd need to walk. The weather is fine at the moment, but might be a bit trickier in the summer. The Ministry of transport has just launched a free bus service around West Bay so that might be a good solution for you?

http://dohanews.co/west-bay-bus-shut...-area-traffic/

Ditzy

Hi,
www.careem.com service operates in Doha now. Slightly more expensive than a taxi, but very reliable, can book it all online/on a phone app etc.

You could probably just contact them and negotiate a rate for a daily pick up

spiritofistanbul

Cheers guys

spiritofistanbul

Has anyone been on those West Bay buses yet?

Would be good to know what they are like - i.e. are they punctual?

martinbkk

I've not used public transport in Doha so cannot really comment. Seen a few buses about, only male passengers of course. I'm sure if there are any issues with timing and such then things will improve once the locals start using them.

Johnnyboy11

"Qatar - would I need a car?"

Yes, you're in the desert, with a few skyscrapers dotted around, never forget this.

It's boiling hot for most of the year, and high humidity. At mid-day, you have about 5 mins to get indoors to avoid sunburn and being soaked in sweat. Your crotch will take hours to dry-out in the a/c at work. We're talking 40-50deg. temps here in the shade, sometimes more. Hot.

The roads and pavements, if any, are very, very dangerous. You don't want to have to walk anywhere, it will stress you out. But driving will also stress you out, until you get into the swing of things, then it's tolerable (except at night, when the wacky-backy, desert-dwelling, land-cruiser drivers from the desert head for town).

My advice, rent or lease a car, at least until you acclimatise. My experience here anyway...

amy77

Also, just rent one to stop yourself from going insane. There are people living here who've never ventured beyond Doha. You need to get out and see the country otherwise you'll get cabin fever, not that there's much to see, but psychologically it's important to have the option, in my humble opinion. Not to mention the aforementioned temperature issues and the fact that most of the taxi companies are utterly dreadful, Careem and Uber aside.