Saudi Gazette report

DAMMAM — The Eastern Province Mayoralty announced the imminent launch of the second phase of the trial run of the public transport bus project for the metropolis of Dammam and the Qatif governorate.

The first phase began on Oct. 1 by the Saudi Public Transport Company (SAPTCO), the operator of the public transport service.

Mayor of the Eastern Province Eng. Fahd Al-Jubeir said that the second phase of the trial run will include receiving passengers on the second track — Northern Khobar; the seventh track — Dammam King Fahd Airport, and the eighth track — Dammam Second Industrial City. The stations and assembly points for passengers are permanently fixed for these routes.

Al-Jubeir said that a number of stations are ready for operation while the rest of the stations are under various phases of implementation along these tracks.

A mobile application has been prepared specifically for the project called Eastern Province Buses that can be downloaded from Android and Apple stores and through which the beneficiary can book tickets and know the bus routes, especially the nearest bus to the beneficiary’s location.

The mayor said that the project includes eight tracks linking major centers of the metropolis of Dammam and Al-Qatif governorate, with a total length of more than 400 km. Currently, there are 77 standard buses, with 35 seats, and three doors, to cover all the routes.

Al-Jubeir said that the buses meet the requirements of comprehensive access for people with disabilities, in addition to all security and safety requirements.