Minister of Transport H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti
Doha, Qatar: Minister of Transport H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti emphasised that Qatar National Day is an occasion that fills all the people of Qatar with pride and a sense of belonging to this generous homeland, and the rich history laid down by the ancestors on this blessed land, particularly the founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani.
The Founder played a pivotal role in charting the path of development, growth, and prosperity for the state. Inspired by him, the wise leadership carried the torch to build a modern state that looks forward to the future while preserving its heritage and past.
In a statement to QNA on the occasion of Qatar National Day, Minister of Transport extended the sincerest congratulations and greetings to Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
He clarified that this precious occasion is an opportunity to renew the determination to continue building on previous achievements, exerting all efforts for the elevation of the nation, supporting the journey of comprehensive development and renaissance, and achieving further progress, growth, and prosperity for the Qatari people.
On the legislative and regulatory level, the Minister explained that the ministry, in line with its strategy for a comprehensive shift to clean energy, has launched a gradual comprehensive transition strategy for the electric bus system in public transportation to operate on 100 percent clean energy by 2030.
Significant progress has been made in implementing this strategy, with the electric buses’ operational percentage in the public transportation fleet reaching 70 percent during 2023.
He further noted that the Ministry of Transport, in collaboration with the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa), has developed modern and sustainable infrastructure supporting electric vehicles, including the deployment of fast electric charging equipment across various locations in the country.
Nine types of sites have been identified, spanning corporate, shopping, residential, traffic points, worship places, public services, entertainment, and sports facilities.
Around 200 charging station locations have been designated throughout Qatar, distributing approximately 600 charging units to be implemented gradually by 2025.
During 2022, over 130 electric chargers were installed and operational, and in 2023, another 100 chargers were installed. The ministry is working on installing and operating 150 charging units in 2024.
Bolstering this leading role in the environmental sector, Al Sulaiti said that the ministry has launched a policy for using equivalent EURO-5 standard pure diesel fuel for all buses and trucks to be imported to Qatar, starting from the models manufactured in 2023.
He noted the completion of a comprehensive plan for land transport in Qatar, which aims to formulate a national strategy regarding the strategic plans and systems related to land transport. Over 46 national land transport policies have been prepared, proposing 86 plans and projects until 2050.
The Minister said that the ministry has assessed safety on more than 2,000 kilometers of highways, main roads, and arterial roads in the country.
This evaluation was conducted using the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) to enhance and assess the safety level on road networks, aiming to reduce the percentage of deaths and severe injuries resulting from traffic accidents.
