Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, governor of Makkah Region, inaugurated, on the sidelines of the Digital Region Projects Exhibition, the prototype of public transport bus in Makkah, which contributes to serving citizens as well as pilgrims and visitors of the holy city through introducing an integrated service system in line with the Kingdom's Vision 2030. Prince Khalid was briefed about the operational mechanism of the new transportation system, which aims to accommodate the transportation needs resulting from the expected growth in the population in Makkah and in the number of visitors to the Grand Holy Mosque and the holy sites. It would also support economic development in Makkah, and provide easy access to the Grand Holy Mosque and other mosques in the city as well as the educational and health facilities, commercial and recreational areas, and contribute to reducing pollution and protecting the environment by reducing dependence on small cars as a means of transportation. The bus network consists of two stages where the first phase will consist of 12 lines and approximately 83 stops, in which medium-sized buses are used, while the other five lines will be express lines with dedicated tracks, a length of 172 km and approximately 342 stops, in which buses of greater capacity and frequency are used. The project also included operating more than 400 buses, including 240 regular buses that can accommodate up to 85 seats, and 160 buses with a capacity of 125 seats, in addition to the construction of a bus accommodation station, which includes control building, drivers management building, gas station, light maintenance workshop, bus washing and maintenance station, heavy maintenance workshop, bus stops, drivers housing facilities. The buses are equipped with extinguishing and environment protection systems which reduce Euro-4 carbon emissions, protection systems through surveillance cameras inside and outside the bus, a collision-avoidance system, electronic screens showing the destination to be reached, as well as a hydraulic system to help people with special needs, and places for strollers and people with special needs. The vehicles will also have Internet service (Wi-Fi) in each bus and an audio-visual system displaying trip information to the passengers, and the buses will operate at an average of 22 operating hours per day. — SPA
