MADINAH, 23 September 2004 — Hundreds of private minibus drivers gathered outside Madinah governorate yesterday to protest what they called harassment at the hands of traffic police.
They complained that police were giving them traffic tickets indiscriminately. Some drivers had received tickets to the tune of thousands of riyals. The drivers said that they wanted the harassment to stop so they could pursue their only source of living.
One of the minibus operators said that police were hunting them inside the central area of Madinah, sometimes preventing them from entering the area to pick up passengers. The driver said the problem began a year ago when police implemented a new law declaring the central region out of bounds for minibuses without permits.
Police contend that minibuses are barred from the area because they tend to create huge traffic jams and because they do not have permits. The drivers had complained previously to Madinah Governor Prince Muqrin who lifted the ban temporarily.
The problem resurfaced when the stipulated time limit ran out. However, officials at the governorate promised the drivers that a solution to their problem would be found very soon.
