MAKKAH — Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Haj and Umrah has exempted the Haj companies serving domestic pilgrims from the ban on the renting of buses from abroad, the Arabic language daily Makkah reported on Sunday quoting sources in the ministry. They said the ministry lifted the ban on local companies in view of non-availability of sufficient number of vehicles in the local market and the high demand for transporting pilgrims. The ministry, however, warned that the renting of the buses from outside the Kingdom may take a long time to process as it requires the approval of a number of pertinent departments and agencies. It, therefore, asked the companies to start the procedures for renting buses from outside the Kingdom as early as possible so as to avoid any delay in their delivery. The ministry asked the companies to look thoroughly at the possibility of renting buses in the local market before applying for outside rental. It said the application for any rental of buses from abroad has to be approved by the minister of Haj and Umrah. The ministry has set a number of conditions for allowing foreign buses into the Kingdom for the transportation of pilgrims. The buses should not be more than 10 years old from the date of manufacture, the capacity of each bus should be a minimum of 45 seats, and the length of the vehicle should be 12.5 meters or less and width 2.6 meters. The buses should be fully air-conditioned, should have toilet facility and compartments for luggage. The buses should be technically examined to ensure that all safety measures including fire extinguishers are in place. The conditions also stipulate that the driver and his assistant both should hold valid driving licenses.
