Woes of outbound passengers continue

Kingdom's residents who performed Haj and visited Jeddah face hurdles trying to return by public transport to their cities of origin.
The SAPTCO bus station in Jeddah’s old town was in chaos for the third consecutive day on Tuesday night. Large numbers of outbound passengers were standing in queues to inquire about departing buses. Some of them were waiting for hours just to know the availability of departing buses.
There was a heavy rush for the Riyadh route, as well as for buses going to Dammam.
No SAPTCO staff was available at the ticket and enquiry counters at night. Some passengers were found knocking the door of the station manager, which was also locked. Several passengers resorted to sleeping and sitting on the floors of the bus station while waiting.
There was traffic jam on the road opposite the SAPTCO bus station on Tuesday night. Police had to intervene and divert traffic to other routes.
Private tour operators were seen urging passengers onto their 40-seat buses parked near the platforms for the Riyadh and Dammam routes.
Many of these out-bound passengers are expatriate Haj pilgrims and holidaymakers who came to visit Jeddah.
There was heavy demand for flights too with Saudi Arabian Airlines fully booked for the next five days. There were no seats available, not even in business class.