No entry for ramshackle buses

The Makkah traffic police department has seized 32 small and large buses that failed to comply with safety regulations, as part of a campaign to prevent unsafe buses from transporting Haj pilgrims this year.
Capt. Ali Al-Zahrani, spokesman of the department in Makkah, said the campaign would continue to remove such vehicles from the city's roads.
“We seized these vehicles for not having road licenses (istimara) and not in good condition for use,” Al-Zahrani said, adding that the bus drivers had also violated regulations.
“We’ll not show any leniency towards violators of road safety regulations,” the spokesman said.
The traffic department in Makkah has been beefed up with the deployment of 1,200 additional officers.
Meanwhile, the Saudi government has said it would enforce a ban on non-Saudi buses transporting passengers and goods to the Kingdom or through its territories for Haj if they are over 10 years old.
Brig. Ghaith Hassan Al-Zaabi, director general of the Traffic Coordination Directorate (TCD) at the Ministry of Interior, said that the regulations and instructions regarding the transportation of passengers by bus to the Kingdom stipulate that a bus’ lifespan should not exceed 10 years from the date of manufacture.
The move was made to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers and road users. Al-Zaabi called on bus owners to observe the new regulations to avoid punitive action.
Al-Zaabi said the TCD has advised the traffic and patrol departments in the United Arab Emirates to inform bus owners and drivers of the decision. The TCD also advised the licensing department not to issue travel certificates to buses that intend passing through the Kingdom.