JEDDAH, 20 April 2004 — Minibuses are everywhere on the streets of Jeddah and they create many problems, according to a report in Al-Watan newspaper. Most minibus drivers were reckless and never obeyed traffic laws, the paper said.
Some residents blame the minbuses for many of Jeddah’s traffic accidents. The small buses travel at high speeds, racing to pick up customers before the bus behind them is able to do so. They annoy everybody by blowing their horns all the time. Sometimes they cause fights with other drivers; they drive on sidewalks and stop wherever they want to, even in areas where stopping is forbidden.
Al-Watan had a look around Jeddah in order to get an idea of the problem. Abdul Majeed Al-Turki, a university student, said, “The minibus drivers think they own the road. They do not consider other drivers. They are annoying and reckless and are a threat to other drivers. They cause major traffic problems and accidents because they stop suddenly without any warning. They will even go the wrong way down a road if they want to.”
Tarek Al-Zahrani said, “Most of the time I notice young drivers at the wheel of the minibuses. Some of them have very little experience in driving and they cause major accidents. My car has been scratched many times because of them and I was nearly involved in an accident when a minibus driver moved quickly in my direction as he was trying to pick up a customer. To avoid him, I had to go onto the sidewalk and damaged the front of my car. Why do the police take no action against them?”
Nayef Al-Kurashi, a 20 year-old minibus driver, said, “I am a good driver and I obey traffic laws. I have to admit, however, that speeding and passing other minibuses can help us earn more money. I cannot get a driver’s license because I have traffic violations amounting to SR12,000. I cannot pay that amount as I earn only SR200 to SR250 a day. Not all minibus drivers are bad. People just try to create a bad image for us.”
Ali Muhammad, 24 year-old minibus driver, said, “I have been working as a driver for 11 years. I do not have a license so I try to avoid the police and not get caught. The only reason we make so much noise with our horns is to frighten our main competition — taxi drivers.”
