The Ministry of Transportation fined owners of 371 buses a total of SR1.6 million for violating laws on transporting visitors and pilgrims in the Kingdom.

In a press statement Saturday, the ministry confirmed that it is continuing its inspection campaign to ensure that transportation companies are implementing all requirements and regulations pertaining to the transportation of visitors and pilgrims by buses.

Abdul Aziz Al-Jabbar, director general of the General Directorate of Roads and Transport in the Riyadh region, said the department has seized 371 buses transporting visitors and pilgrims for violating regulations during Eid Al-Fitr.

An estimated 234 buses were found in violation of the law for operating beyond the approved lifetime of the vehicle. Fines imposed for these violations amounted to SR1.17 million.

And 64 buses were in violation for operating without the required permission card, amounting to fines of SR64,000. Nine offenses were by buses operating with expired permissions cards. These buses were fined SR4,500.

Twenty-eight violations were recorded for buses operating without license, and were fined SR140,000.

Thirty-six foreign-owned buses were fined SR180,000 for failing to register the vehicles in the Kingdom for internal transport, and for operating without the consent of the ministry.