MAKKAH, 18 December 2007 — Despite tightening entry procedures into Makkah in the run-up to Haj, pilgrims who managed to get past checkpoints without Haj permits reported paying lucrative amounts of cash to taxi drivers — exceeding in some cases SR1,000 each — just to get into the holy city.
Mesfer Al-Bagumi, 20, works as a taxi driver ferrying pilgrims from Taif to Makkah. He explained that taxi drivers charge SR200 on the fourth day of Dhul Hijjah to bring pilgrims without Haj permits into Makkah. On the eighth of Dhul Hijjah the price reaches SR1,000.
“The prices in transferring and smuggling pilgrims ... has risen this year,” said Abdullah Al-Harazi, a taxi driver working the Jeddah-Makkah route.
Al-Harazi added that prices are increasing globally for everything. “The prices of smuggling pilgrims from Jeddah to Makkah are less than other areas in Saudi Arabia. In addition, many drivers are forced to transfer pilgrims without permits through rugged mountain roads. Their journey takes more time,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sultan Al-Beeshi, a local Saudi, said that many people have been discouraged from performing Haj this year without valid permits because of the strict monitoring system implemented at checkpoints.
“The authorities are very strict and have announced people will be penalized. Haj permits don’t cost much and so most pilgrims prefer performing Haj in the legal way,” said Al-Beeshi.
Abdu Salim, a Yemeni expatriate from Madinah, said he paid a taxi driver SR800 in Madinah to get into Makkah without a permit. “I sell clothes to pilgrims in Mina. It’s a profitable venture. Some years I make around SR5,000 and sometimes it can increase to around SR8,000,” he said.
Abdul Majeed Al-Haj, a Sudanese expatriate who works in an electronics shop, said he did not get a Haj permit, as he was hesitant to perform Haj.
“I decided later to do Haj and so ended up paying more money than I usually pay for a taxi just to get into Makkah,” he said.
Radwan Darraz, a Syrian expatriate resident in the Kingdom for over 10 years, decided to perform Haj at the last minute. “Last year I performed Haj legally with a permit, but this is the first time for me to smuggle myself into Haj. This year, my relatives are going for Haj and since all my family is back home in Syria, I decided to go with my relatives rather than staying at home and watching the pilgrimage on television,” he said.
“Increase in vehicle rental prices is the main reason behind the raise in transportation prices this year,” said Awn Al-Raddadi, a Saudi taxi driver, also working the Jeddah to Makkah road.
“Renting a Suburban GMC for one week costs SR9,000 whereas it used to cost SR7,000 in previous years. The increase in price means passengers will have to pay more. Just to give you a taste of the prices, instead of paying SR30 to SR100 per person in the past, pilgrims now pay between SR50 to SR150, especially on the seventh and eighth of Dhul Hijjah,” Al-Raddadi added.
