Many of these Saudis struggle to make ends meet and are unable to support their families and make payments on their leased vehicles, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported.

As a result, the owners of these vehicles are calling on the authorities to address the problem of foreigners, including overstayers, who monopolize the trade. “These people dominate the sector after forming organized gangs. They pose a big threat to a large number of citizens who enter this field after a prolonged search for jobs. It’s the case that many Saudi families also prefer to travel in vehicles driven by foreigners rather than those operated by Saudis,” said one driver.

Taher Abbas is a Saudi with a valid license to operate a minibus to transport female students and teachers.

“There are gangs of foreigners, especially illegals, who pose a serious threat to Saudis in this field. These foreigners join hands in buying minibuses offering transportation services for students and teachers. They also operate these vehicles as private taxis. They are instrumental in preventing Saudis from working in this field,” he said.

Abbas also drew attention to how some sponsors bring workers into the Kingdom and then allow them to find jobs elsewhere on condition that they pay them fixed monthly amounts of money.

“These sponsors are not at all bothered about the types of jobs their workers engage in. These foreigners are registered in their iqamas as plumbers, painters and the like. Some of these foreigners work in offices on a part-time basis in the morning and work as drivers in the evening,” he said, while urging the authorities to put an end to the problem.

Adnan Al-Saihati, another Saudi, said there is a growing number of foreign drivers, exceeding hundreds, in almost all cities in the Eastern Province. “This huge presence of foreigners creates numerous economic problems for Saudi drivers. Moreover, there are also security problems faced by some Saudi families, such as  perverted behavior,” he said.

Al-Saihati said foreigners have a tendency to undercut prices. “As a result, we incur huge losses and that has forced many of our youths to sell their buses and vans,” he said.

Echoing the same view, Ahmad Al-Monasef said that customers in general prefer foreigners to Saudis because of the cheaper rates. “We provide transportation facilities using vehicles that are in good condition … At the same time, the vehicles used by foreign drivers are mostly old and not in good condition,” he said. “Even then, customers are lured by the lower fares and prefer to travel with foreigners,” he said, adding that some foreigners operate private taxis without licenses.

“Some Saudi families also prefer to travel in private vehicles owned by foreigners, because some Saudi drivers always come late and do not keep their word. They also charge higher fares,” he said.

Um Abdul Mohsen said she prefers to travel with Asian drivers. “They come on time while Saudi drivers are usually late even though they promise they will be there within a few minutes. This jeopardizes a lot of things that we need to do,” she said.

Taher Abbas objected to the negative way Saudi drivers are viewed. “Most Saudi drivers come on time as this is their only source of income. There may be a few who are lazy. There are also some who fail to fulfill their commitments due to workload,” he said.

Many Saudi women, however, feel Saudi drivers can be more trusted than foreigners. Um Mustafa, who works in the private sector, said some foreign drivers act strange and perversely and so she prefers Saudi drivers.

Ameena Al-Nasir, a Saudi teacher, said she never trusts foreign drivers. “I think most foreigners are involved in this trade illegally. I prefer Saudi drivers because I want to encourage them and support their businesses,” she added.