Riding a bus in
Kuwait can be exhausting - waiting under the sun for ages wondering when the
bus will arrive or what is the number of the bus that will go to your
destination! Taking the wrong bus will make you spend hours and more money to
reach the place you want to go. Since my car was totaled in an accident, I
began to use taxis, but they cost me a lot of money. I found that some
destinations can be reached by bus, so I started to take the bus to work, malls
and other places.

Since I like to
travel, I use public transportation a lot, using Google Maps to get the bus
number and timings. Unfortunately, it is not that easy in Kuwait because there
is no bus timetable, no clear stops, and no one to help - even the bus driver
does not know the destinations of other buses!

But people of
Kuwait will not struggle anymore, because Citybus has created an application on
iOS and Android to help people learn about its bus routes, time of arrival and
nearest bus station. You can even type where you want to go and it will show
you the nearest stop, which bus to take and how long your trip will be.

This seemed too
good to be true - since Kuwait is not known for this kind of technology or bus
system - so I tried it. Waiting for the bus, the app showed the bus will reach
my stop after seven minutes. After six minutes, the bus arrived. The app told
me I will reach my destination in 37 minutes - once again it was right. The app
is super useful, and although it sometimes freezes and does not show how to
reach faraway destinations, it is a great step for Kuwait. Hopefully, one day
such apps will help tourists reach places of interest.

By Faten Omar