Transport : taxis?

if u choose to go with a taxi company, ud have to pay more, their fares are set whereas the roaming ones are slightly more negotiable.

buses are not recommended for women, they're usually overcrowded with guys and laborers on their way to work.

those are the only two forms of public transportation in kuwait. depending on where u live u could find a mini-bus service that would take u to and from work/home.

the only taxi company i can think of that is still in business is gulf shields. all other taxis in kuwait are roaming. what u can do is check with expats if they know a reliable driver whose number they are willing to share. befriend one and ur safety is guaranteed, as well as a more reasonable pricing scheme.

sorry, should have explained the taxi system first

before there used to be taxi companies, that u would call and have the driver come pick u up in a specific location, take u to a specified destination. it was the pillar of safety.

now the taxi trade has exploded, as most locals see them as great sources of income, so what they do is open up a "roaming" service, where they have a fleet of cars given to anyone who can drive and they take passengers as and when they find them. theres no regulator on these taxis. the other ones had a radio inside to 'call home', roaming taxis are autonomous.

thanks legacy!

Hi, if you are still new in Kuwait it would be best to go by reputable taxi company. They dont over charge and they don harass. I can Recommend 2 taxi company i been using since i first came here.
1. Makati Taxi 25753003
2. Philippines Taxi 25755605 or 25755605

You just need to call them ahead of time cause its always booked.
But they are guaranteed safe and cheap.
Here in Kuwait if you will just wave taxi on the street and you are westerner they will charge you unreasonably high. Also most of the random taxi does not speak English. You can also rent car once you have your license and you are bit well versed of where to go in Kuwait. there will be load's of car rental places available. There are also bus but i am not so familiar with its route.

Hope this help.

Could you share your exeprience then? What is the average price for a 5 km drive? Someone told me that you could "reserve" a taxi from some of the companies so that it comes to pick you up for work and then comes back to take you home. Is that a regular practice? How much would that be in KWD?

a 5km distance would take me about 20 minutes to run

that ride would cost u i would say around 1-1.5KD, bear in mind that taxi drivers may add a bit of "margin" on to that, especially if they feel u are a foreigner from the west.

what u can do is get into a taxi, chat with the driver, see if u can get em to "work" for u, meaning they pick u up when u call em directly, its an agreement with the driver not facilitated thru the taxi company, in return for a monthly salary, which would be anywhere from 70-120KD (depending on your bargaining ability, distance, time of commute etc).

Great! Thank you
Will try that strategy in September