PRIVATELY run minibuses are one of the most important means of transportation in Jeddah. They run throughout the city toward downtown charging only SR2 per person. These minibuses are strictly driven by Saudis. Many people regard them as troublemakers because of the many accidents they cause and because of their repeated sudden stops and swerves. Drivers object to these claims, saying that they are providing a good, cheap service to the community.

This job however does not come without its trouble. Muhammad Al-Subhi, a 60-year-old Saudi driver, said that the job is not what it used to be in the past.

“In the past the revenue was enough to cover home expenses and satisfy the daily house needs,” he said. “Now the revenue has declined because of strong competition and the many minibuses on the street. I have been working since the times of King Khaled... Lately I have noticed many educated Saudi drivers and sometimes university students driving minibuses just to make a living.”

Al-Subhi admits there are plenty of problems caused by minibus drivers who compete to get customers from the streets and that sometimes contributes to traffic accidents.

Saeed Al-Ghamdi, 50, said that the profession is tough and needs a lot of patience. Al-Ghamdi rents his bus on a monthly basis and pays SR4,500 a month.

They have no weekends or adequate time to rest because a time to rest means money lost.

“My daily income is between 340 and 400 riyals a day,” said Al-Ghamdi. He added that gas and other expenses are on the driver. He said that in their line of work they meet with all types of people and sometimes they face trouble, like robbers and deadbeats and so he keeps a metal bar handy.

“Every day between 200 to 300 people ride on my bus. The metal bar I carry puts fear in the hearts of those who think of creating trouble. Sometimes I use it to break up fights that start inside the minibus. I kick them out using my metal bar because that will delay me and decrease my revenue.”

Amjad Al-Harbi, 23, said that he has been working for three years as a part-time bus driver.

“My father is a driver and I love this business because I used to help him. He would drive as I sat in the back to collect the fare from the riders. You may ask why a university graduate student is a minibus driver. Well I am still searching for a job and I would rather work and make money than sit at home.”

Al-Harbi said that there is a secret agreement to give students and limited-income people a 50 percent discount, so they pay only SR1 for each ride.

“Yes, minibus drivers cause problems on the streets, but not all of them,” said Al-Harbi. “Private car drivers are causing more trouble than us and contribute to road accidents more than us. The only problem I see is that there is competition between the minibus drivers to pick up customers. So you see them racing on the road to pick up customers and that causes accidents. I prefer not to take that risk and I would rather earn little than risk my life and the lives of my passengers.”

He said that he rents the minibus for SR150 a day. He said that some people do not pay the rent and rather share the daily revenue with the minibus owner.

“One of the major problems that faces the minibus drivers is traffic fines. Police are giving minibus drivers traffic fines for bad driving or because licenses are expired. The traffic police are not issuing new licenses. I think this is a problem they need to solve,” said Al-Harbi.