THERE is a special law to regulate the public transport system in the Kingdom. However, this law apparently failed to regulate the taxi sector. The recurrent violation of traffic rules by taxi drivers have resulted in chaos on roads with traffic jams every now and then. The public transport law lists at least 68 types of violations. These include violation of rules of traffic, vehicle hygiene and uniform. While comparing with the taxis in some neighboring countries, there has been a severe shortcoming in maintaining the standard and quality of services being offered by taxis in the Kingdom. Experts have come up with up several suggestions to improve the quality of the taxi service in the Kingdom. These included allotting designated parking areas for cabs, specific time for taxis to enter the premises of hospitals, universities and markets, in addition to a toll free booking system. Here, taxi drivers are accustomed to picking up fares at any spot along roads. They are unmindful of stopping their cabs at busy intersections and thus adding to already unbearable traffic jams. There are many taxis that roam about streets in search of customers and thus contributing to traffic congestion and air pollution in the city. They also cause traffic accidents due to their negligence in observing traffic rules. Hence, it is indispensable to make available training programs for taxi drivers so that they comply with the traffic rules. They should also be programs to train them on how to interact gently with customers as well as to acquaint them with major landmarks and roads in the city. It is interesting to note the findings of researcher Abdul Aziz Al-Nuwaiser who said traffic jams, accidents and related problems incur losses amounting to around $20 billion to the state, in addition to human losses that reached about 5,000 a year. The researcher points out that the Kingdom's daily gasoline consumption reached 2.5 million barrels worth SR10 billion and this makes up 25 percent of the Kingdom's total daily output. Many writers and social figures are consistently making calls for serious efforts to reduce traffic bottlenecks and congestions in our cities. This is more evident with the rapid growth of population and the exodus from the rural areas to the cities. Hence, it is inevitable to take effective steps to regulate the public transport system, especially the taxi sector. Apart from this, there should also be efforts to bring down environmental pollution and enhance traffic safety awareness.
