Okaz/Saudi Gazette

MAKKAH — The Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites launched the second phase of the free trial run of the Makkah Bus Project.

The project, which is being operated by the Unified Transport Center along the routes of 6, 7 and 12, connects the central Haram area around the Grand Mosque, the Haramain High Speed Train Station and Umm Al-Qura University, with an extension to Al-Buhairat district.

The commission said that these new routes would serve the residents and visitors of Makkah on a larger scale.

The launch of the second phase will enhance the integration of public transport services in the region, and will contribute to raising the utilization rate to reach 15 percent in 2030, within the objectives of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy, launched by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman in June 2021.

The commission said that Umrah pilgrims during the upcoming holy month of Ramadan and the Hajj pilgrims would take advantage of the new service of the second phase after the success of the first phase of the project. The operation of all the bus routes under the project will be officially completed by the end of 2022.

Once completed, the project includes 12 lanes, including seven lanes for local buses, and five lanes for express buses, with a total length of more than 280 km, in the main streets and neighborhoods. The total number of buses would reach 400; including 240 regular buses and 160 articulated buses whose capacity would be 125 passengers.