Number of vehicles surge by ‘80pc in last ten years’

The number of vehicles in the Kingdom has increased by nearly 80 percent in the last ten years, it is learned. According to latest statistics, there are over 700,000 registered vehicles in the Kingdom.

This is in contrast to 2008 when there were just over 400,000 cars in the country. According to the statistics by the General Directorate of Traffic, there are now 719,418 vehicles in Bahrain. Private cars account for the largest percentage at 586,798. There are 40,774 goods vehicles, 256 tourist vehicles, 15,894 buses, 1,393 taxis, 11,109 special use, 2,027 public security, 6,928 semi-trailers, 759 diplomatic vehicles, 18,452 motorcycles, 2,818 construction vehicles, 31,907 double cabin pick up vehicles and 203 royal court vehicles.

The number of vehicles rose by 4.7 percent in 2018 when compared to the previous year. The Kingdom is in efforts to reduce the reliance on private transportation by boosting public transportation in the country, according to the Transportation Ministry.

According to the ministry, 141 public buses, which operate in 32 lines serve around 51,000 passengers a day. To further boost the use of public transport, the government is planning to have a metro network.