Every pilgrim, on arrival at any of the Kingdom's airports, seaports or border posts, will receive a digital smart card with all information of the pilgrim saved on it, the Cars General Syndicate told Okaz/Saudi Gazette Thursday. A digital map service will also be launched to monitor buses on the Internet and detect technical glitches, breakdowns, and if buses are abiding by the routes assigned to them. This is to keep a check on the performance of 17 transport companies that are providing 19,000 buses during this Haj season. Through these measures, the Syndicate aims to reduce bus breakdowns and the time required for repairs, besides streamlining the movement of pilgrims between Makkah, Madina and the Holy Sites. The Syndicate plans to operate 120,000 trips for pilgrims between the Holy Sites and Makkah and Madina during the pilgrimage season. The plan will be put into operation by nearly 30,000 supervisors, members of administrative and technical committees, drivers and maintenance workers. The focus of the Syndicate's new transport plan is to ensure pilgrims perform their Haj rites with ease, comfort and peace of mind. Authorities concerned are making use of the latest means of technology to streamline the process of receiving and correctly dispatching pilgrims to their residences. At Al-Shumaisi Checkpoint, the number of officials from the Passports Department have been increased to efficiently check the identities of motorists, organize traffic and arrest illegals. This has helped reduce the pressure at the checkpoint. The Makkah entry points will also have female crews trained to search women during this Haj season. Trained staff, modern anti-forgery devices and advanced computers are all ready to guarantee an easy and convenient completion of pilgrims' entry procedures. All those who arrive will be fingerprinted, in a procedure aimed at checking overstayers. Haj flights started arriving on Sept. 29 and will continue until the end of October. The departure flights are supposed to start from Nov. 10 and end on Dec. 10. __
