By bus
The Kuwait Public Transport Company KPTC and CityBus run buses in and around Kuwait City, with a flat 200 fils fare for trips in the city. The two run on the same routes, so KPTC bus 999 will get you to the same place and for the same price as CityBus 999. However, bus shelters are spartan, schedules erratic and information lacking, making this a poor second to taxis if you're in any sort of hurry and not desperately short on cash. For the adventurous, privately-owned CityBus maintains an up-to-date list of routes on their website (http://www.twgkw.com/route.htm), while figuring out KPTC routes is rather more challenging -- as of 2008, their Transport Kuwait (http://www.transportkuwai...) website hasn't been updated in years and the route maps are thoroughly obsolete.Apart from the Bangladeshi working communities, who do all the low-end jobs in Kuwait, very few others use the public transport. Buses are mainly male, with many of the travelers listening to music without headphones on their mobile phones. The buses can also be filthy as many sit and eat sunflower seed and scatter the shells all over the floor.
By Taxis
If you don't have your own wheels, taxis are the most practical form of transport. Meters are universally ignored the official fares haven't changed in years, so agree on the price before you set off. There are three basic types:
Call taxis aka hotel taxis are all-white with company decals on the doors, and they can be found lurking around major hotels. Usually ordered by phone, these are usually fairly nice and will take you where you want to go with a minimum of fuss, but charge steeper prices: KD 3 is the standard fare for most trips around town, while going to/from the airport is KD 5. However, if you manage to catch one on the road away from the watchful eye of the dispatcher, they may cut you a discount. Kuds Taxi, tel. 241-3414, is one of the largest operators.
Airport taxis are larger American cars that have their own ramp at the airport. They have a printed fee on the inside of the taxi with the fares fixed. Many drivers will, however, try to demand higher fares.
Orange taxis, which are actually white-and-beige with yellow license plates and "TAXI" signs on the roof, prowl the streets of Kuwait looking for passengers. Fares are negotiable, with short hops from KD 1 and a longer trip across town around KD 2. Readilly available, you are likely to be tooted by them as you try to cross the road. The divers will try to increase the cost of the journey and huff and puff if the traffic is bad, or if you weren't completely clear on where you were going. They will then demand more on arrival. It is easy to see when they are about to pull this trick as they will start to complain about your inaccuracy shortly before arrival. Some, but not all, orange taxis ply only along fixed routes, and you'll be expected to share the cab and the fare with other passengers if you board one of these.