MAKKAH, 6 March 2004 — A police crackdown on unlicensed taxis has upset their freelancers, according to a report in Al-Nadwah Arabic daily. A number of Makkah residents take advantage of the Haj season’s aftermath to make extra money by taking pilgrims back to Jeddah but are now finding their efforts thwarted by police, the paper said. “It’s very difficult to carry passengers from Makkah to Jeddah because of the police roadblocks,” Muhammad Turkistani, a driver, told the daily. “It used to be so easy. I don’t know why it is different now and why police are sensitive about carrying passengers in private cars. “Now we live in fear because police see this as a violation and give us traffic tickets. I know drivers who’ve had to pay SR1,000. But for us this is the only way of earning extra money for our families,” he said.
