Commuters demand action to ease causeway delays

The Passport Department has failed to deploy more employees, introduce new technology and overhaul its working hours to help ease congestion on the King Fahd Causeway, Arab News has discovered.
Omar Al-Mahboob, a journalist at a local newspaper, told Arab News: “I’m always traveling to Bahrain but what makes me so angry is that only one employee in a cabin covers two lines of traffic. It seems the Passport Department has a shortage of workers.”
On Friday, motorists were stuck in long lines waiting for the few passport officials on duty to process their paperwork to enter Bahrain. This despite promises by Maj. Gen. Sulaiman Al-Yahya, director general of the Passport Department, that changes would be introduced to cut down on delays.
Al-Yahya said the Passport Department would introduce laptops for employees and cameras in each cabin. He also promised to crack down on employees talking on their mobiles and taking long smoke breaks while working.
Al-Yahya visited the causeway last week after the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha) issued a report, quoting commuters, which blamed the passport department for the delays.
Arab News found that some employees have problems with working hours and sitting in the same position for long periods. There are three shifts, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., and 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. Each employee has to change shifts every two to three days.
In recent reports quoting Al-Yahya, an officer processes 2,000 persons in one shift. He conceded that it was difficult for employees to work on a computer inputting information and checking people at the same time. He promised to increase the number of employees but this has not happened.
Some employees claim they have medical problems caused by sitting for long hours on uncomfortable chairs including hemorrhoids, backache and issues with their sight. Some employees have only eight hours or less to get back to another shift.
Al-Yahya also promised to reduce the working hours to a maximum of six hours and 48 hours rest, but this has also not happened.
Ali Al-Shehri, a media worker in the Eastern Province, said: “We heard Al-Yahya say there would changes but we've not noticed any at all.”
People have gone onto social media sites including Twitter and Facebook to complain about services at the causeway.