JEDDAH — Minister of Transport Sulaiman Al-Hamdan has said no permits will be issued to taxi companies in Jeddah and Riyadh to enlarge their fleet. "Licensed companies in these two cities will not be allowed to add any new cars except to Saudize jobs or to replace existing cars with new ones. The number of taxis available in these two cities is too high and much higher than the projected demand," said Al-Hamdan. He said having too many vacant taxis roaming the streets is adding to congestion on the roads in both cities. "The ministry aims to regulate the streets of the cities to maintain social, economic and environmental balance. The ministry must also ensure that the roads of these cities have the capacity for public transport vehicles. The ministry is responsible for the transportation sector in the Kingdom except for aviation," said Al-Hamdan. He said the ministry is responsible for ensuring that the sector contributes to the Kingdom's economic growth. The ministry by next year will compile reports on the status of taxis in Jeddah and Riyadh and the ratio of taxis to users of the service to reevaluate the decision, he added.
