i read somewhere else that the driver got confused with the controls as he was driving one of the newer bus models and was unfamiliar with it. one driver told me the other driver from the incident last december used to be a school bus driver so he wasn't used to the buses used for public bus routes. they normally use school bus drivers on fridays to augment the work force because there are so many passengers on those days.

the thing is, the stations are too crowded on weekends and many passengers don't follow instructions to stand behind the barriers. they normally rush toward the buses when they arrive, especially those routes with destinations outside doha because the trips leave only once every hour, if they get on a bit later they will have to stand and if they miss the bus they need to wait for another hour. there is no queuing system in place (except for bus 76, but it only happens on weekday mornings) so it tends to be chaotic.

in other news, i tried the sms thingie posted on bus stops and found it pretty reliable. i now know what time i should leave the office so i can go to the bus stop across the street and not have to wait a lifetime for the bus to arrive