JEDDAH: Taxi drivers in the Eastern Province are avoiding picking up single passengers following the Saihat attack on a taxi driver last Friday.

A man posing as a passenger shot and kicked out the driver, seized his car and then rushed to the area where he carried out the carnage.

Users on Twitter have created a hashtag to share the fears of terrorists among drivers and express support for the drivers.

“We fear that terrorists may hide in women’s clothing,” wrote Fawzia Naser. “What makes our society different is a lack of awareness among parents and failure to report terrorist children.” Other tweets called for cabbies to pay more attention to the behavior of passengers and avoid single passengers.

Some taxi drivers in Dammam have begun equipping their vehicles with equipment similar to metal detectors. Ibrahim Al-Said, who owns a number of taxis in Dammam and Alkhobar, said he had grown fearful of having his cars used by terrorists following the attack.

“The attack brought into the open some other events that have taken place but which, for various reasons, we did not discuss,” said Al-Said.

He noted that some passengers reach their destination and run away without paying while some taxi drivers, particularly Asian expats, are often victims of theft. He said some customers preferred hiring Saudis in order to reduce theft since some criminals specifically target expats.

Jaber Saoob, a taxi driver from Yemen, said it was difficult to focus only on one group of passengers.

“We often face threats if we insist on a certain fare, and are thus forced to comply due to fear of being attacked or killed,” he said. “Some cabbies report these incidents while others refrain from filing complaints.”

Meanwhile, three of the five victims of the terror attack were buried in Saihat on Tuesday. The funeral prayers were attended by a number of grief-stricken relatives and local citizens.