Many low-income and unemployed youth in Jeddah consider work during the Haj season as a golden opportunity to earn extra cash and improve their standard of living.

The simplest and most popular role among many youth is known as “kadada,” which involves transporting pilgrims inside the holy sites or between different cities.

Many of them earn more than SR400 a day during Haj.

Several young men head to the streets in search of pilgrims who are in need of transport during the busy season despite warnings from authorities.

Arab News met with several young men in downtown Jeddah, who shared their experiences in this line of work and spoke of the traffic violations they incur as a result.

Thirty-five-year-old Abu Sami, who uses his own private vehicle to shuttle pilgrims, said he took on this type of work five months ago and found it to be enjoyable, but said that he routinely gets traffic tickets.

He said he usually incurs between SR350 to SR450 in traffic violations per day, but is unable to obtain official permits that will allow him to work and support his family.

“I advise unemployed youth to work in this field, but to stick to the regulations,” he said.

Khaled Maqbool, a high school student, said he has worked during Haj for two years in order to help his father meet household expenses.

He said he usually makes between SR10,000 and SR15,000 during the Haj season alone, but that he incurs SR5,000 in traffic fines.

He said he is also unable to get permits for buses, which would allow him to make more money.

“Doing well in college is not good enough to meet my daily financial needs,” said Hani Sawli, a college student. “This is why I have other ways of earning money to pay for my college tuition.”

Majdi Talba, who graduated from high school three yeas ago but has been unable to find a job until now, said: “Two years ago, I thought about using my own GMC to transport pilgrims from Jeddah to Makkah and back as a means to increase my income.”

He said the trip between the two cities costs SR100 per person each way and that his vehicle’s large size allows him to transfer eight people at a time, earning him around SR10,000 over a three-week period.