River taxi service relaunched in Baghdad to relieve traffic jams

STORY: River taxi service relaunched in Baghdad to relieve traffic jams DATELINE: July 21, 2023 LENGTH: 00:03:03 LOCATION: Baghdad CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of river taxi service 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MUHANNAD RAYHAN, Captain 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): NOOR FARIS, Passenger STORYLINE: The Iraqi government has relaunched the river taxi project as one of its solutions to relieve traffic jams in the capital city of Baghdad. In Baghdad, a city of more than 9 million people, traffic congestion is severe, particularly on each of its 13 bridges to cross the Tigris River that bisects the capital. Iraqi Minister of Transportation Razzaq Muhaibis said that the government is keen to relaunch the service after seven years of suspension. "The current Iraqi government has developed several solutions to overcome traffic jams that lead to delays for employees, students, and all citizens from reaching their workplaces on time, and one of these solutions is the river taxi," Muhaibis said. The service was w