The syndicate requires 25,000 drivers to operate vehicles that transport pilgrims to airports and between the holy sites. The average monthly pay for a driver is SR3,000.

However, the proportion of Saudi drivers at the syndicate has never exceeded 10 percent, while the remainder of jobs has gone to foreigners, mostly from Egypt, Syria and Turkey, who accept less pay.

Arab News tried to contact officials from the Haj Research Institute, the Ministry of Haj and the syndicate office to find out why little action was being taken to make the job attractive to Saudis, but no one was available to comment.

However, chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s transport committee Saeed Al-Bassami told Arab News the dependence on foreign drivers during the Haj season was primarily because of the nonavailability of skilled Saudi drivers.

“I don’t think foreign drivers are recruited for financial reasons because the cost of recruiting and maintaining a foreign driver is sometimes more expensive than employing a Saudi driver.”

Speakers at a recent seminar organized by the Haj Research Institute agreed that the constant increase in the number of pilgrims warrants smart plans for the safe transportation of pilgrims in the coming years.

A representative of the General Cars Syndicate explained the effectiveness of organizing continuous trips to move pilgrims from airports to their residences in order to minimize the waiting period and crowding at airports and other places.

Meanwhile, a recent report said many Egyptian drivers had demonstrated before the Labor Ministry in Cairo demanding better pay when they are sent for Haj work in Saudi Arabia.

They said they were paid only SR1,000 a month in the past.