Saudi Gazette report

MAKKAH — Inspectors from the Ministry of Transport in Makkah discovered a total of 2,062 violations by companies involved in the transportation of pilgrims.

The ministry’s officials carried out routine inspections on all transport companies to make sure that they strictly adhered to the rules and regulations concerning the pilgrims’ transport.

An official source in the ministry told Makkah newspaper that the surprise visits to the transport companies were made in collaboration with police and other security agencies.

He said the inspections covered some 20 offices involved in transporting pilgrims, parcels and letters.

“We closed down some offices that did not abide by the rules and regulations,” he said.

The official said the violations were discovered in the offices working in public transport, freight movement, transporting visitors and pilgrims and buses transporting passengers inside the holy city. He said as many as 844 temporary licenses were granted to buses from outside to transport pilgrims.

The official said the combined length of roads in Makkah, the holy sites, Khulais and Rabigh where regular repairs and maintenance works were carried out during the pilgrimage season was 1,156 kilometers.