Muscat (MCT) to the city
Taxi drivers here are required to use a taximeter and the airport publishes estimated fares to the districts, which turns the kerb into a check rather than a negotiation.
- Taxi drivers at the airport are required to use taximeters.
- The airport publishes estimated fares between the terminal and the main areas of Muscat.
- The public bus station is on the ground floor, outside the terminal building.
- Mwasalat is the national operator, government-owned since 1972.
- Muscat is long and thin. Ruwi, Mutrah and Old Muscat are strung along the coast, and none is close to the airport.
The meter, and the published fare
- Taxi drivers operating at Muscat International are required to use a taximeter, which is a regulation rather than a courtesy.
- The airport publishes estimated fares between the terminal and the important areas of Muscat, so you can check the meter against a number you already have.
- Look it up before you land. Having the figure on your phone is what makes the rule useful.
The bus
- Mwasalat, the national transport company, runs services from a bus station on the ground floor outside the airport building.
- Mwasalat is government-owned and dates from 1972, and it is the operator behind both the city network and the intercity coaches.
- Timetables for services leaving the airport are published on Mwasalat's own site, which is where to check rather than at the stand.
The shape of the city
- Muscat is a ribbon along the coast rather than a centre with suburbs. Ruwi is the commercial district, Mutrah has the corniche and the souq, Old Muscat is the palace and the forts, and Al Khuwair and Qurum are where most hotels sit.
- Nothing is close to the airport and everything is 20 to 40 minutes from it. Confirm which end of the ribbon you are staying at before you agree anything.
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