The Transport Authority apprehended 1,417 violators and issued fines totaling 20,000 riyals
The Public Transport Authority 's inspection teams continued to intensify their field inspection tours across various regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as part of their ongoing efforts to regulate the land transport sector and curb unregulated practices. These intensive campaigns, conducted between Saturday, December 13th and Friday, December 19th, resulted in the apprehension of 1,417 individuals violating transport regulations.
Details of the violations detected
The authority explained in its statistical report that the violations ranged from practicing the activity without a license to carrying out preparatory work for it. The details are as follows:
- 799 violations related to the practice of “calling out” (preparatory work) to attract passengers in irregular ways.
- 618 violations related to the actual transport of passengers using private cars (known locally as “Kaddada”) without obtaining the necessary licenses.
Deterrent regulatory measures have been applied to violators, including impounding vehicles and imposing large fines, in joint cooperation with security and relevant authorities to ensure the application of the system.
Strategic context and the importance of organization
These inspection campaigns are an integral part of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy , which aims to enhance the efficiency of the Kingdom's transport sector and improve the user experience. Historically, the individual transport sector has suffered from disorganization, negatively impacting service quality and safety levels. Through these stringent regulations, the Authority seeks to eliminate the phenomenon of informal transport, which mars the urban landscape and harms the national economy by fostering the "shadow economy."
These moves also aim to support fair competition in the market, where legitimate drivers and licensed ride-hailing app companies are harmed by unfair competition imposed by violators who do not adhere to safety standards or pay operating fees.
Stricter penalties in the new system
The Authority based its procedures on the new Land Transport System on Roads , issued by Royal Decree No. (M/188), which established a strict legal framework to deter violators. The regulations stipulate graduated and severe penalties:
- Violation of the call: A fine of up to 11,000 riyals and impounding the vehicle for 25 days upon repetition.
- Operating a transport service without a license: a fine of up to 20,000 riyals , and impounding the vehicle for up to 60 days.
- Extreme measures: The system allows the sale of the offending vehicle at a public auction in specific cases, in addition to deporting non-Saudis from the Kingdom in case of repeated violations.
In closing, the Public Transport Authority called on all citizens and residents to comply with regulations and to utilize authorized channels and licensed applications to ensure safe and reliable journeys, noting that all details can be found on its official website.
