Dr. Jabara Al-Seraisry Hani Al-Lahyani Okaz/Saudi Gazette MAKKAH – The Ministry of Transport (MoT) has set Oct. 22 of this year for the enforcement of the new bylaw which defines the activities of the taxicabs in the Kingdom's cities. According to the directives of Dr. Jabara Al-Seraisry, Minister of Transport, the new law supersedes previous instructions and decisions related to this activity. The bylaw stipulates that this business is carried out by Saudi companies and with Saudi capital. It also allows non-Saudi investors to obtain licenses to run the business in the country as per the rules of the bylaw or according to a bilateral, regional or international agreement. The bylaw makes it mandatory for the business owners to get a license from the mayoralties, municipalities and traffic administrations which indicates the specifications of the companies' centers where the companies will run the business. The vehicles should be fully owned by the business owners and insured for third party and the driver. As per the bylaw, the Undersecretary for the Transportation Affairs is the only authority to determine the minimum number of cars that should be owned by every company as is dictated by public interest. The bylaw stipulates that the companies shall use the Taxi DD Wireless System which is usually used to monitor the company's fleet. The system enables the company's management to monitor the car's speed, location and direction. It also helps in maintaining the traffic safety. A special device will be installed in every vehicle to be directly linked to the company's system and the ministry's data center. The cabs will be trained on the system. The center must have a land telephone to receive calls from service seekers. The calls shall be recorded and valid for six months so that they can be recalled anytime. All these systems shall be linked to the National Data Center at the Ministry of Interior. As per the law the drivers should help the passengers especially the physically challenged in carrying their luggage and while embarking and disembarking. By law the drivers are not allowed to roam around looking for passengers. Neither drivers nor passengers are allowed to smoke in limousines. The ministry also makes it imperative that the capacity of the cars' engines be 2400cm, maximum number of passengers carried is 11 including the driver and the vehicle's age shall not exceed five years. A small sign or poster indicating all the ministry's conditions and specifications of the service shall be fixed on the front part of the car.
