JEDDAH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal has ordered the Makkah Development Authority to prepare a comprehensive study on the improvement of Haj transport.
The study is aimed to develop the transport system of Hajis and benefit from the new technologies in Makkah and the holy sites.
The Kingdom, at the leadership and popular levels, is keen to provide the best levels of services to the guests of Allah stemming from its religious and Islamic duty, Prince Khaled said as he presided over the meeting of the Higher Authority to Monitor Haj Transport at the premises of the Makkah Governorate in Jeddah on Tuesday.
The meeting was attended by Minister of Haj and Umrah Mohammed Salih Bentin, Minister of Transport Sulaiman Al-Hamdan, Director of Public Security Gen. Mohammed Al-Muharraj, and President of the Saudi Railway Organization Dr. Rumaih Al-Rumaih, as well as the committee members.
He said the occasion of Haj is the most important event for the Kingdom and it is given utmost care by the leadership and government, notably as “we are honored to be close to the Grand Mosque and serve the guests of Allah, which is a source of pride to us.”
Prince Khaled said Makkah heavily depends on transport in its capacity as the center of the region and, therefore, transport enjoys a great importance and has to be considered in all plans.
He stressed that transport means allocated for Hajis should be highly efficient, taking into consideration the importance of introducing technology in all works related to Haj and Umrah in order to facilitate comfort for the guests of Allah.
The meeting approved the exclusion of Haji transport buses whose manufacturing model exceeds 10 years, instead of 18 years, beginning from the next Haj season, which is aimed to raise the level of transport services to the Hajis in the course of their journey.
Prince Khaled also explored and approved plan and arrangements for provision of transport buses for Hajis, and specifications required to be available in these buses.
The meeting also touched on arrangements related to localization of drivers, technicians and other staff working in the transportation of Hajis.
The meeting also discussed other issues such as mechanisms on how to develop traffic plans to transport Hajis in Makkah and the holy places, banning of buses with less 25 seats from entering the holy sites, and arrangements to avoid accidents associated to Haji transport, and services provided to Hajis on highways.
Comprehensive study set to improve Haj transport
Comprehensive study set to improve Haj transport
