JEDDAH, 15 August 2006 — The Traffic Administration in conjunction with the Transport Ministry has allocated the number 800 for all taxi cars operating under the ALJ Community Program recently. The traffic department made the move after studying the details of the nonprofit taxi-ownership program introduced by the ALJ scheme. Under the program, ALJ offers cars to eligible unemployed Saudi youth on interest-free loans to be repaid in easy installments.
Ibrahim Muhammad Badawud, first director general of the ALJ Community Program, said that the support extended by the transport department would enable the ALJ to further expand their activities, which aims at decreasing unemployment in the Kingdom.
Formerly the beneficiaries of the ALJ scheme had to get their licenses issued from the region in which they belonged. But now with the granting of a unified number the licensing procedures have been simplified and would be valid in all parts of the Kingdom.
“The ALJ Program aims at finding more employment opportunities for Saudi youths, thus contributing to the Saudization process of the taxi industry. The program provides the youth with insured cars equipped with meter, taxi-light at the top etc.,” Badawud said.
He appealed for interested Saudi youths to proceed to the nearest ALJ office to join the scheme. The ALJ program, which expects to cross the 1000 mark by the end of the current year, was started in 2002 with the loaning of 10 cars. Now 700 youths in regions such as Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam are participating in the scheme, company officials said.
