There are three different modes of public transportation that you can use in Qatar: buses, taxis and limousines, all of which are owned by Mowasalat (Karwa) apart from some limousine companies. The bus service began in October 2005. Ticket prices start from just Qr4.00. You can travel as far north as Al Shamal/Al Ruwais, as far west as Dukhan, and as far south as Mesaieed (Umm Said). You will require a Karwa Smart Card to journey on buses - paying on the bus with cash stopped in 2010. An alternative to taxis and buses would be to use a limousine service, which will send a car to your location (as will Karwa taxis if they are booked by telephone). Limousines are expensive, but they are the most comfortable form of transport. Uber taxi service is available in Qatar since December 2013. This smart-phone based taxi service seems to work well: they arrive at your location typically within 15 minutes. You receive a photo of the driver with his name and telephone number, which is a good security feature. You can hire a car with local Car Rental companies. You will find plenty of car rental company in cities, airports or via your hotel. Walking and using bicycles is usually not a good idea in the hotter months of the year, as the heat can get very intense and tiring. Note that most hotels and other places do not use street numbers or even street names in their addresses. E.g. the W-hotel Doha states its address as: Westbay, Doha, Qatar. Therefore it is often difficult to find a place, and people navigate by using landmarks, such as 'opposite City Center mall' or 'by Sports roundabout'. It gives the feeling of being in a large village! Google maps is quite useful, although it needs more updating, and street view is not available in Qatar (as of August 2014). The Ministry of Municipality & Urban Planning has been installing street number plates since 2012. There is also a website called Qatar Geoportal, which is accurate but much slower than Google maps.