Taxi fares from King Abdul Aziz International Airport are soaring.

A nine-seater taxi hired from the airport to King Abdul Aziz University, a 20-kilometer drive, used to cost between SR80 and SR100 two months ago. The price has now jumped to SR120 for the same distance. Passengers have no alternative but to pay the high price.

“I now have to pay SR120 when just a month ago, I paid SR100 for the same distance and the same car,” said Tariq Mahmood.

Another passenger, Mohammed Alawi said, “I had only SR100 in my pocket after a long-haul flight. When I came out of the airport, I found the fare was more than what I used to pay. I had no other choice but to bargain.”

Another passenger, Tanzeem Sheikh, complained about a similar situation at Madinah Airport.

“Price boards are available inside and outside the airport at Madinah, which shows prices according to the number of passengers for different distances. When I came out of the airport, I found the taxi charging double the amount written on the board,” said Sheikh.

He enquired with the driver about the reason behind the price hike. “The driver said these boards are from a new company, which will begin operating soon, and that drivers are not bound to the price on the board. He said they pay SR 1,000 annually to airport authorities to transport passengers from the airport,” he explained.

Arab News asked Fahad Al-Anziat, a taxi driver at King Abdul Aziz International Airport, about the reason for the fare hike. Al-Anziat lamented the fact that drivers now have to pay higher monthly fees to airport authorities. Before, the fee was pegged at SR150 per month, but drivers now must pay SR300. Drivers consequently had to increase their price.

“Moreover, the cost of living has increased,” Al-Anziat says, “and it is difficult to make ends meet without increasing prices.”