By Abdullah Al-Dahhas

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

MAKKAH — A number of Saudi taxi drivers have expressed their indignation at the Traffic Department's decision to prevent them from entering Makkah's central region while allowing non-Saudi drivers of hotels to move around the area without restrictions.

The Saudi drivers said the move was not in conformity with the Labor and Social Development Ministry's efforts to Saudize jobs in the transportation sector. They urged the authorities to allocate taxi stands inside the central region nearby hotels and furnished apartments.

Mohammed Al-Harbi, a taxi driver, said he used to bring pilgrims from King Abdulaziz International Airport to the Grand Mosque in Makkah as well as to hotels in the central area of the holy city. "Now traffic police are preventing us from entering the area," he told Okaz/Saudi Gazette.

"This ban has put us in an awkward situation as we are unable to take pilgrims, especially the elderly and sick ones, to their exact destinations with the central area of Makkah," he explained.

He said the authorities closed the taxi stand in Shubaika, which existed there for several years.

Al-Harbi said the department's move has negatively affected their job as taxi drivers to earn a living. "Traffic police are talking about illegal taxis. But we run licensed taxis and we should not be punished for the wrongdoings by illegal drivers,” he added.

Zayed Al-Zahrani spoke about the contradiction of preventing Saudi taxi drivers from entering the central area while allowing non-Saudi hotel workers to drive in the area.

He urged the Traffic Department, Makkah Municipality and the Transport Ministry to find a viable solution to this problem as quickly as possible. He proposed establishing taxi stands for Saudi drivers at the entrances of the city as well as near hotels and apartment complexes.

Bandar Al-Qurashi said the Traffic Department's decision contradicts with the government's move to Saudize jobs in the transportation sector. "Police stop us from entering the central area. At the same time, they allow non-Saudi hotel drivers in. This is quite unacceptable.”

Essam Qamra also criticized the department's decision to prevent Saudi taxi drivers from entering the central area of Makkah. "This decision is implemented only in Makkah while in Madinah, taxi drivers enter the area very close to the Prophet's Mosque without any restrictions.”

Okaz/Saudi Gazette contacted Col. Fowzi Al-Ansari, spokesman for the Traffic Department, for clarifications and to convey the grievances of Saudi taxi drivers, but he did not respond to repeated telephone calls and WhatsApp messages.