Bus market in Qatar continues to grow
The surge in the number of blue-collar workers arriving in the country has contributed to a significant growth in the bus market in Qatar.
According to companies supplying buses to the local market that compared to the 2012 figures, there was a 10-15% growth last year. The growth this year has so far been more impressive than in the previous years, say industry insiders.
A senior official of a company supplying Ashok Leyland (India) buses in the local market said the distributor received orders to deliver 60-70 units a month these days. "Throughout the year, there is a demand for buses," he added.
The market is expected to grow further in the coming months as more workers arrive in the country for its planned infrastructure projects.
An official of a company, which has contracts to supply buses for ferrying schoolchildren, said their firm was receiving more enquiries for transporting both workers and students these days.
"There is a good growth in the transport business and it will contribute to a greater demand for buses," said the company manager.
Tata, an Indian company that has a big presence in the region's bus market, is also reporting good growth locally. "Our growth in the bus business has been impressive in recent years," said an official of the local distributor, Al Hamad Automobiles.
In 2012, a Tata official said they had more than 7,000 buses in the country then.
A sales official of the local distributor said the firm had sold around 3,000 units in the last 24 months (excluding October).
Schools in the country's expatriate communities have been regularly placing orders for new buses. An official of a prominent Indian school said they had more than 80 Ashok Leyland buses in addition to vehicles that were rented to ferry students.
One advantage with the two Indian brands, according to transport officials, is the availability of well-trained and experienced mechanics at the local distributors' workshops.
"Their presence in adequate numbers reduces maintenance and repairing issues," said a transport official at an expatriate school.
Besides the Indian brands, Chinese buses are also arriving in Qatar these days. A spokesperson of a company that imports a China-manufactured brand said they had already surpassed last year's figures.
"We are hopeful of making deeper inroads into the market as China-made buses are cheaper than other brands."
While buses made by the Indian brands can cost between QR235,000 and QR285,000, those from China are priced between QR140,000 and QR165,000, it is understood.
Some Korean models, too, are sold in the market. [Gulf Times]
