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As a part of the efforts to improve the transport infrastructure in the Sultanate and make it a better place to live, Mwasalat hosted the UITP MENA Seminar and Assembly 2017 for the first time in Muscat at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre. The meet was officially opened by Mr. Alain Flausch, the UITP Secretary General from Brussels, Belgium following the welcome speeches by Mr. Ahmed Ali Al Bulushi, the CEO of ONTC MWASALAT and Mr. Khalid Alhogail, the Chairman of UITP MENA Division and CEO of SAPTCO, Riyadh.
Further, honourable keynote speaker Mr. Dario Hidalgo, the Director of Integrated Transport, EMBARQ, World Resource Institute spoke in depth regarding the efforts needed to make public transportation the preferred mobility choice. He emphasized that cities should shift from building roads for cars to building roads for moving people. He also elaborated on the measures to be taken for building sustainable and efficient infrastructure for transportation. Following which the challenges in developing public transport infrastructure were addressed in detail by Mr. Ahmed Ali Al Bulushi, the CEO of ONTC MWASALAT. Further, he announced the launch of a new bus route between Al Mabilah to South Mabilah from March 2017. The new route known as route no.7 will connect Al Mabilah to route no.1 enabling passengers to go all the way to Ruwi and beyond. He also announced plans to expand the fleet by adding 350 new buses in the near future. In addition, he also launched a new Mwasalat taxi service for Muscat and revealed the look of the new taxi, plans to bring the service on road are currently in the process. Furthermore, Mr. John Lesniewski, the Group Chief Commercial Officer of Oman Global Logistics Group spoke at length about Developing Oman’s Mobility Plan.
In a part of the world, where the fuel price is comparatively low and in a country where most residents already own a car the cultural challenges involved in getting residents to commute by public transportation is immense. This issue was highlighted to the audience by Mr.Rakesh Belwal, Associate Professor & Coordinator for MBA Program at Sohar University. Further, how walkability can assist in building Smart Omani cities was underlined by Ms. Amna Ali Al Saadi a Phd candidate at Oman Post.
The afternoon session of the meet focused on the challenges involved in enhancing public transport operation and efficiency. Case studies from Dubai, Paris and Barcelona were presented to the audience. Mr. Franz Freiherr Von Redwitz, the Vice President and Managing Director, MAN Truck & Bus; Mr. Bassel Ibrahim Saad, the Director of Buses Department, Roads & Transport Authority, Dubai; Mr. Yo Kaminagai, Head of Design, RATP, Paris; Ms. Marta Labata, Chief Executive Officer of TMB Bus Network, were among the speakers of the afternoon session.
The post-lunch session of the meet focused on the highlights of the MENA assembly, MENA working priorities, achievements for the year 2015-2016 and Global Public transportation trends and their impact on UITP. Mr. Khalid Al Hogail, the Chairman MENA Division, Riyadh; Mr. Abdul Malik, Chairman MENA CTE Steering Committee, Dubai; Mr. Ayman Smadi, the MENA & CTE Director, MENA Division, Dubai; Mr. Alain Flausch, the UITP Secretary General, Brussels; Mr. Mohamed Mezghani, the Deputy Secretary General, UITP, Brussels; were among the speakers of the afternoon session. The eventful UITP MENA Seminar and Assembly 2017 successfully brought together senior professionals and key players in the transportation ecosystem and enabled discussion of key issues in the transportation sector. Moreover, M.O.Us between Oman National Transport Company and AEG Ogden Pty Ltd (Oman branch) were signed to provide transportation services including taxis and public buses for visitors and staff of the Oman Convention and Exhibition Center. Further another M.O.U was inked between Oman National Transport Company and Oman National Football Association to provide transport to all athletes, coaches & staff of the Oman National Football Association.
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© Press Release 2017
