MAKKAH: Some unscrupulous taxi drivers have been ripping off Haj pilgrims and Makkah residents by charging as much as SR500 for a trip from Makkah to Jeddah's airport. The drivers have been taking advantage of the desperation of travelers during the busy Haj season. This was the case for Syeda, a Makkah resident, who was traveling to Hyderabad via Dubai to attend a marriage Thursday. “My Emirates flight was scheduled to take off at 8.45 P.M. from Jeddah airport. I was trying desperately to hire a taxi to reach the airport in time. It was only at 7 P.M. that I could get a taxi. The driver demanded SR1,000 to transport me and my daughter to the airport,” said Syeda. “After a long discussion the driver agreed to take me for SR500 which was too high a fare. Normally drivers charge only SR150. Since time was running out, I had no other option but to agree,” said Syeda. “We reached the airport around 8.15 P.M. The Emirates counter was closed. I had to plead with the airline supervisor and explained how difficult it was to get a taxi. The supervisor was kind enough to give us a sympathetic hearing and we were cleared to travel,” she said. Apart from the Saudi Arabian Transport Company (SAPTCO) many private buses and taxis were transporting domestic pilgrims to Riyadh, Dammam, Madina, Jeddah and Taif. Sitting on the top of a van, Khalid, a Bangladeshi expatriate who returned from the Al-Jamarat Bridge after the stoning of the devil ritual, Thursday, said he had to rush back to Riyadh to start work on Saturday. “I am working for a construction company in Riyadh. I spent SR1,000 to come to Makkah to perform Haj. Now that I have to return, I have less money,” said Khalid. As Khalid spoke, the van neared King Faisal Hospital in Sheesha, a private bus owner was shouting out, “Riyadh for SR300”, while another bus owner was shouting “Madina for SR200”. Khalid was now worried that he would not have enough money for the fare. “I will catch another cheaper bus,” said Khalid. As the van reached Jumeza District, it started raining and Khalid and other pilgrims who were on the top of the van jumped off and took cover in a nearby building. Ibrahim Khaleel Street, Umm Al- Qura road, Jabl Ka'ba Street, Gaza Street and the underground road at the Grand Mosque were packed with many private buses, GMCs, Land Cruisers and vans. The owners of these vehicles were heard shouting out prices to various destinations in the Kingdom. An owner of a private van shouted “Jeddah SR100” another shouted “Taif SR100”. The fares were 10 times more compared to what drivers charged during the off-season. Private taxi owners and limousine drivers operating within Makkah have also raised their fares. To transport a pilgrim from Mina to the Grand Mosque a van driver charged SR100 for those seated inside, and SR50 for those on top. The bus owners charged SR80 for the passengers inside and SR40 for the passengers on top. The pilgrims who sat on the top of the vans and buses were unfortunate because midway through the trip the rain started and they had to take shelter in nearby buildings. The traffic came to a halt at many of the roads. Many vehicles were stuck in the knee-deep water. Shehzad, an Afghan pilgrim who performed Haj along with his father, had an argument with the van driver. He wanted his money back because the driver had taken them all the way to the Grand Mosque. There were very few limousine drivers on the roads, which made it difficult for some elderly pilgrims to get transport. Shabir Ali, an elderly pilgrim from India, who was waiting on the Umm Al-Qura road to go to the Grand Mosque, was stranded because no limousine driver was available to transport him. After a long while, one driver stopped but demanded SR50 to transport him. “There is traffic jam around the Grand Mosque. The police have blocked the road, so I deserve the extra money,” the driver shot back. The Makkah Traffic Police have been handing out fines to private operators, but in some cases they have penalized families traveling together. Abdul Hakeem, an engineer at a construction company, was fined for dropping his relatives at their accommodation in an area near the Grand Mosque. He pleaded with the police officer that he was not transporting passengers but his relatives who had come on Haj. The police officer was not convinced and Hakeem was fined. Fines are normally SR300. Often the drivers' cars are confiscated.
