Affordable accommodation is not the only thing low-income ‘bachelors’ are concerned about these days. Finding a place with proper access to public transport is an equally big challenge for quite a few.
The situation is particularly distressing for all those living in city areas where demolitions are expected within the coming months.
The absence of direct bus services on many routes, it seems, has hit many of these people hard as they are unable to manage to travel in taxis frequently.
For example, a resident of a bustling city locality said he wanted to shift to a different neighbourhood but transportation could be an issue there due to “inadequate” bus services there. “I don’t know how long I can stay here. However, before shifting, I have to sort out the transportation issue,” he added.
A salon worker said he and his friends used to walk 4-5km after their work late in the evening as there were no bus services to their accommodation from Najma after 10pm. Now, they usually have managed to find an accommodation for the reason that area but at a much higher rent. “People like us cannot manage to board taxis always,” he said.
A majority of these low-income residents are prepared to relocate from their present accommodation in the center of Doha but are incapable of do so because of the steep boost in rents in the united states, including in places beyond city limits.
Quite a few of these, it is understood, are given only a token amount as rent allowance by their employers and they are not in a position to spend on housing. “Even though we go outside city limits, our company is unable to find accommodation within our modest budget,” said a resident employed with a laundry in Umm Ghuwailina.
The worker said as a majority of their shop’s customers are from exactly the same neighbourhood, it is really not advisable for them to move farther from their present accommodation either. “Whenever we move to far-off locations, poor public transport connectivity will hit us hard,” he added.
Several other expatriates, including those located in areas such as Asmakh and Old Al Ghanim, are facing an equivalent predicament as they expect evacuations to be carried out in those places.
Meanwhile, many shopkeepers also seem conscious that they may not be able to relocate in the case of an evacuation in their areas due to the fact prevailing rents are beyond their capacity. Besides, the formalities that one has got to complete before moving to an alternative location are way too “time-consuming”, it is understood.
While no-one feels that the town doesn’t have sufficient retail spaces, affordability and public transport connectivity are major worries. “Just how can we rent out shops in localities that are not only expensive but have poorer trains and buses access,” said a shopkeeper in Umm Ghuwailina.