The police have launched a crackdown on illegal car cleaners in the streets, but the latter continue to proliferate in various parts of the Saudi capital to offer their services and augment their meager income.

One of them told Arab News that he gets a measly SR800 as a monthly salary and that what he makes washing cars is a big help to his family in Bangladesh. Another said his salary can reach SR1,000.

The irony is that they operate in the most unlikely places, such as the Diplomatic Quarter (DQ), where there are police patrols to ensure that peace and quiet prevails in the diplomatic enclave.

The car cleaners have also increased their rates, depending on the size of the vehicle, saying that they have to use more water to ensure customers that they will render a good service in cleaning the car.

“With the crackdown on them, many have stopped plying their trade. Those who remain have taken advantage of this by charging higher rates. For a midsize sedan, they now charge SR10,” said a city resident.

He added that because of stiff competition, they charged from SR6 to SR8 before if a customer haggled. “But now, they hardly budge an inch. They tell you the rate and either you take it or leave it as they look around, obviously looking if a police car is around,” he said.

Another city resident told Arab News that aside from an area near a bookstore along Olaya Road, another place where car cleaners wait for customers is the parking area near a private hospital between King Fahd Road and Thakasussi street.

“Go there before or after sunset and you’ll see them waiting for customers going to the outpatient department of the hospital for consultation. And like other cleaners, they have also increased their rates,” he said.

If they have done so is understandable because of the shortage of cleaners and the risks they take because “it could mean deportation if they’re picked up by the police.”

But it’s not only them who charge more. Even the car wash shops have raised their rates as well. If some of them charged SR20 before, they now charge SR35. One of these is located just off the Gulf Bridge, near the old Airport Road.

“If they charge more nowadays, it could be because the cost of basic needs in the market have also increased or they probably want to have their salary increased, so they’re charging more for their service,” said another resident, who is a mechanic. He added that these car wash shops are also operating illegally because they don’t issue receipts for payments made.