YANBU: A number of government departments, officials, citizens and expatriates have welcomed an Arab News suggestion to establish an express-line to fast-track paperwork at government offices, such as the Passport and Traffic Departments, which are frequented by huge numbers of people.

Public bodies across the world often operate express-lines, which involve employees fast tracking paperwork in lieu of nominal fees saving people time.

Mayor of Yanbu Abdul Aal ibn Ali Al-Sheikh praised the idea. He added there was a need for experts to study it in depth.

“In principle, this is a good idea. It would ensure extra income for the government and would provide more employment opportunities to the youth. It would also put an end to nepotism and bribery,” he said.

Lt. Col. Fahd ibn Muhammad Al-Surani, director of traffic in the Yanbu, appreciated the proposal, added it would curb crowdedness especially in cities and big towns. He also called for a further in- depth study of the proposal to weigh the pros and cons.

Masoud Al-Quthami, director of the Yanbu branch office of the Ministry of Commerce, said the idea is worth studying and that such express-lines have long existed in developed countries such as the US and the UK.

He also called for a careful studying of the idea by experts and the Shoura Council before putting it into practice.

Al-Quthami, however, did not see any futility in implementing the idea in small towns where there are no large crowds and where people may not need to pay to complete their paperwork.

Abdullah Al-Mutairi, a Saudi national, welcomed the idea describing it as spectacular. He said it will serve citizens and save time.

“Being a government employee, I have very little time to spend following up on paperwork,” he said.

“I usually go to government offices for my paperwork after the Dhuhr prayer. This leaves me with very little time. This being the case, I usually need two to three days to process my paperwork. If the idea is implemented, it would save me a lot of time,” he said.

Mutlaq Al-Otaibi, another citizen, said the proposal would be especially useful for those who have little time.

“It is also substitute for the services offices that charge a lot of money to process paperwork,” he added.