Saudi and expatriate teenagers living in Makkah, some barely 17 years of age, make as much as SR1,000 a day from pushing around the elderly and disabled during Haj. They are illegal operators and risk arrest by the police. The youths can be seen on the roads leading to the holy sites including King Khaled, Tal'at Sidqi, Al-Ma'abidah and Al-Shisha roads. They charge up to SR200 a trip from Makkah to the holy sites. Abdul Wahab Al-Ghamdi, 17, said he and his colleagues earn nearly SR1,000 a day by pushing pilgrims on wheelchairs from the exit in Makkah to the holy sites. He added that they exchange information by mobile telephone about places crowded with pilgrims. “We exploit the Haj season to get an additional income by transporting pilgrims in wheelchairs,” he adds. Meanwhile, Waleed Al-Zahrani said there are many Saudi and expatriate teenagers who earn a lot of money during the season offering private services including transportation, guiding and selling prohibited items at the holy sites. Waleed Abdul Hakim, Saad Al-Blushi and Anas Al-Blushi said they are expatriates working in Mina without any harassment from the authorities. They say the ban on the entry of vehicles into the holy sites has benefited them and their wheelchair business. __
