المملكة: A fine of 100 thousand riyals and a 3-season suspension for transport companies violating the holy sites

The General Center initiated Transportationin the Holy City of Mecca and the Holy Sites is developing a comprehensive legislative framework to control the activity of transporting pilgrims, aiming to raise the efficiency of the service and ensure the safety of the guests of God through strict technical and operational requirements and deterrent punitive mechanisms for violators.

The new regulations oblige all establishments wishing to practice the activity to obtain prior permission from the centre, while prohibiting work within the specified geographical scope without completing this official document to ensure Operating System.

The legislation has set a precise time frame for submitting “expression of interest” requests to participate, starting from the beginning of the month of Jumada al-Akhirah annually and continuing for sixty days, to ensure early readiness for the season.

Completing data and documents

Service providers must complete All the necessary data and documents and deposit them electronically with the center no later than the fifteenth of Shawwal, with the possibility of extending until the end of the month if necessary.

In a step that guarantees the rights of pilgrims, the regulations obligate the carrier to provide an alternative means immediately after the bus breaks down within a period not exceeding one hour within the cities, and two hours outside them, to ensure the continuation of the trip without delay.

In the event that the company is unable to provide the alternative on time, the concerned authority will intervene to secure an identical means of transport. According to the specifications, the service provider must bear all financial expenses resulting from this procedure.

Technical specifications and the human element

The regulations stressed the need to adhere to the approved technical specifications for buses, as meeting safety and technical suitability standards is a basic and essential condition for accepting the fleet’s participation in the Hajj season.

The regulations did not neglect the human aspect, as it required companies to provide a sufficient number of qualified drivers and technicians to ensure the safe operation and maintenance of buses throughout the season according to timetables. Minutes.

Regulation of violations

The regulation approved graduated financial penalties starting from 150 riyals and up to 100 thousand riyals, and imposed according to the seriousness of the violation to deter those who are negligent in serving the guests of God.

Punitive measures in cases of serious violations amount to depriving the establishment from participating for one or even three seasons, and may end with the cancellation of the activity permit permanently.

And granting The regulation grants broad powers to work teams and field committees to monitor, inspect, and control violations, with the CEO having the right to form these teams and determine the scope of their work.

The regulation guarantees the right to appeal to service providers before a specialized committee within sixty days from the date of notification of the penalty, with the possibility of resorting to the Administrative Court in the event of not accepting the Grievances Committee’s decision.

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