A number of citizens and pilgrims have complained that taxi drivers in Makkah have raised their fare several fold during Ramadan nights even to cover short distances. They urged the authorities to take punitive action against taxi drivers who charge exorbitant prices to exploit passengers during the holy month. "We were forced to give SR80 to travel a short distance in the city," one pilgrim told Al-Madinah Arabic daily. "Taxi drivers have doubled the price to exploit the presence of a large number of pilgrims who come for Umrah and Taraweeh prayers at the Grand Mosque," he added. Pilgrims said taxi drivers were charging SR50 from the Haram to Awali, SR40 to Bathaa Quraish, SR35 to Aziziya and SR80 to Sharayie. "We don't have any option except to pay these huge amounts to reach our destinations," another pilgrim told the newspaper. Naif Al-Amri said taxi drivers charge SR60 to take a single person from Sharayie to Makkah. "Authorities should prevent these drivers from exploiting pilgrims and other passengers," he said. Misfar Al-Qahtani said he had to wait two hours to get a taxi from Nouriya, about 15 km north of Makkah, to reach the Haram. "Finally, one taxi came and the driver asked SR65 for the trip." He said he refused to pay that amount and decided to return home. "I used my private car to reach Mahbas Al-Jinn and from there I got a bus to reach the Haram paying just SR2." Abdulaziz Al-Shahri, who came to Makkah to perform Umrah, said he had to pay SR280 in taxi fare to reach the Haram from King Abdulaziz International Airport. "I came from Abha to Jeddah by flight paying SR251. How can I pray SR280 for traveling from Jeddah airport to Makkah? That fare was unbelievable. Cabbies should not be allowed to exploit pilgrims during the Ramadan season," he told Al-Madinah. Al-Shahri was not happy with the taxi service in Makkah. "Although they charge huge prices, most taxis in Makkah do not maintain cleanliness and the drivers are unaware of historical sites and landmarks in the city," he pointed out. These drivers roam around places with passengers to waste their time while some of them steal money from women, he said. Al-Shahri stressed that monitoring authorities should keep a watch on taxi drivers to protect pilgrims and other passengers from extortion. A taxi driver, who requested anonymity, told the newspaper that they consider Ramadan as the best season to make profit and they compete with one another to earn the maximum by transporting a good number of passengers. "We'll charge high prices during this season because of high demand caused by the growing number of pilgrims, who come from within and outside the Kingdom," he added. Col. Fouzi Al-Ansari, spokesman for Makkah Traffic Department, said it is the responsibility of Transport Ministry to fix taxi fares. "We give tickets to taxi drivers who violate road regulations," he said.
