Very soon, the old buses that are currently being serviced will become a memory. As part of the King Abdul Aziz Public Transport Project, Riyadh’s bus network will introduce 1,000 new high-tech buses throughout the city’s districts. The network will cover a distance of 1200 kilometers and include 6,765 bus stops.
Most of the running public buses that travel back and forth downtown are old and run down and are in bad condition, which does not reflect the modern image of today’s Riyadh. No bus stops have been designated for these buses, which are independently owned and run by Saudi citizens. Drivers tend to stop frequently at any spot in the street to pick up or drop off passengers, exasperating traffic congestion, Al-Riyadh daily reported.
The Council of Ministers issued a decision 20 years ago to halt the issuance of the license to these buses but the decision has never been enforced effectively. These buses can still be seen in Riyadh.
Soon the Transport Ministry will issue a notice to these bus owners to halt the service and there will be strict checks to ensure these buses are not servicing.
