Plan afoot to ease pilgrims' transportation

Ministry of Haj Affairs prepared a draft plan that intends to align the transportation of pilgrims with the national strategy for transportation.
The new draft will include provisions to liberate the transportation market on a competitive basis and will allow buses to operate throughout the year.
Bandar Al Hajar, Minister of Haj, said to Al Eqtisadiah, that all concerned parties should meet the mutual goals and stressed the independence of the pilgrim transportation sector from other transport activities.
“The new system aims to establish the necessary mechanisms that are aligned with the requirements of each Haj season, to ensure that the best services are provided to pilgrims on a competitive basis,” said Al Hajar.
The system outlines the hypothetical age of cars, according to international safety and comfort standards and delineates the authorized zones for buses to transport pilgrims, as well as school students, visitors and tourists.
One important provision of the system is the gradual and organized nationalization (Saudization) of the drivers and technicians, who will be operating the authorized buses; to ensure that the transportation system is not disrupted.
The Commerce and Industry Chamber in Makkah demanded sometime earlier that pilgrim transport companies be separated from the transportation sector in general.
It is worth mentioning that all transportation companies work under the umbrella of the General Syndicate of Cars, which has a fleet of 20,000 buses.
Makkah Chamber said that there are more than 26,000 jobs available during Haj season, however Saudi citizens refrain from applying to them.