Saudi Gazette Taxis in Abha and the Asir region came as a relief to tourists who visited the beautiful green valleys to rejuvenate themselves. However, unfortunately, some taxis in the Asir region have been discontinued due to lack of Saudi taxi drivers. Muhammad Al-Hamali Group's vice president, Khalid Al-Hamali, told Al-Watan daily, that the company has invested heavily in the cab project and now there aren't enough Saudi taxi drivers to operate those cabs in the region. “Most Saudis look for a taxi driving job as a side-job, to supplement their income that they earn from their full-time job. The government has required a 100 percent Saudization of the taxi drivers we recruit and we simply have been unable to find a sufficient number of Saudis who are willing to drive taxis full-time. Due to this deficiency in Saudi taxi drivers, approximately 30 percent of our cars in the Asir taxi cab project have stopped working,” said Al-Hamali. “To attract Saudis to the taxi cab company and motivate them to sign up, we have announced many incentives and benefits. Saudi taxi drivers will receive a stable monthly salary, medical insurance, registration for social insurance, and periodic bonuses. Despite all our efforts, not many Saudis have applied for a permanent job with the company,” he further said. If the taxi cab project was successful, it will not only result in significant profit for the company, but it will also boost the economy of the entire region. Al-Hamali explained, “The investment prospects in the Asir taxi project are huge, and could reap financial returns of SR100 million by the year 2015. However, I fear that the obstacle of finding Saudi taxi drivers and the ban on employing expats will hinder the economic growth of the company and the whole region. I estimate that the provision of widely available taxi cabs will increase the region's revenue in the tourism sector by 15 percent. A large number of Saudis and Gulf country nationals pick the Asir region as their vacationing destination. Tourists have long been complaining that there were no taxis available and getting around the area was very inconvenient and troublesome.” He also said that many taxi companies are compelled to employ expat drivers in an unauthorized fashion because otherwise the taxis would remain barren. According to him most Saudis refuse to depend on taxi driving as the sole source of a monthly income so they are not serious about their job with the taxi company. Some full-time expat drivers produce a monthly return of up to SR 10,000 for the taxi cab market. The Saudi driver would be able to produce the same revenue if he agreed to work full-time behind the wheel. Working full-time as a taxi driver for eight hours a day could guarantee a good salary of around SR5500 a month, but perhaps they may not be satisfied with this income. “The company has supplied the Asir region with 150 taxi cars but unfortunately, 40 of them are standing still in the parking lot because we do not have drivers for them. We hope that more men seeking jobs will come forward to work with the company, as this will provide a dependable source of income for them and will contribute to the development of the region,” said Al-Hamali. A spokesperson from the Ministry of Work told Al-Watan daily that the ministry has not issued a working visa to any person outside the country for the position of a taxi driver since seven years. He further stated that the ministry cannot inspect every single company and some companies may mislead the authorities and issue visas for the position of secretary or accountant and then employ the expatriate as a taxi driver. __
