High prices of “limousines” and “Jeddah Chamber”: the reason is “labor licenses”

High prices of “limousines” and “Jeddah Chamber”: the reason is “labor licenses”

High prices of “limousines” and “Jeddah Chamber”: the reason is “labor licenses”

A number of limousine taxi drivers in the city of Jeddah justified raising the fare by increasing the cost of expatriate labor licenses, which was recently approved by the Ministry of Labor and cast a shadow over the limousine sector, as its drivers resorted to raising the fare by self-determination and without prior warning.

The head of the Fares Committee at the Jeddah Chamber, Muhammad Al-Qahtani, said in a statement to Al-Watan that the reason for this is due to the increase in permits for expatriate workers, indicating that approximately 10% of Saudis work in the fare sector, compared to 90% of expatriate workers, and this percentage is from residents. Workers on taxis whose costs are borne by the employer alone.

He added, “The complications of visas and licenses increased with the Ministry of Labor raising the license for one worker to 2,500 riyals. Makasib to be convinced that he is investing in a profitable project, in addition to the traffic holiday that the streets of Jeddah are witnessing, and the digging and huge projects that are hindered by the secretariat are based on their implementation at one time, without thinking about starting them partially.

A state of dissatisfaction and restlessness was monitored by “Al-Watan” among the crowd of hikers and visitors due to the high price of limousines, which are the only and fastest transport for citizens and residents. The fare, as in the previous season, she used to spend one trip from her apartment in Al-Faisaliah neighborhood to Jeddah Corniche, at a value of only 15 riyals. On this vacation, I noticed the insistence of the taxi drivers to raise the price in a costly manner, as the driver demands 50 riyals for the trip as a minimum. .

She added that this costs families more than they can afford, and that taxi drivers on some trips are forced to change their lane and enter dangerous lanes in the middle of slums, and this may pose a great danger to some passengers, especially if they are women.

Ali Khan, a taxi driver who spoke to Al-Watan, explains that the increase in the cost of the trip comes in light of the increase in the requirements of the business owner, who forces him to make the fixed income of the taxi 300 riyals per day as a minimum, as well as to keep up with the wave of high prices that prevail in all consumer products that affect On his daily income, which does not exceed 80 riyals, of which he spends 20 riyals to fill petrol.

For his part, Fayez Al-Juhani, a retired citizen, confirms that he worked in the limousine sector to meet the needs of his children who are still in school and meet the requirements of living.

He adds that with traffic jams, road disruptions, and the large number of repairs in the streets of Jeddah, he wastes time in the streets by standing for long hours, and this incurs a large gas bill that may exceed what he earns per day.
He points out that the seasons are an opportunity for mercenaries to earn extra money, and that it is difficult for taxi drivers to reach customers due to heavy traffic and traffic disruptions, which causes a decrease in income, so drivers resort to raising prices.

Awad Owais, an expatriate driver, agrees with him, indicating that the plan to construct a group of projects, bridges, tunnels, and diverting traffic to the most famous roads in Jeddah contributed to the emergence of a state of discontent in the taxi drivers sector.

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