Transport Authority: 90,000 violations and 437,000 inspections during January
The Public Transport Authority revealed the results of its intensive monitoring efforts during January, as its field teams continued their comprehensive inspection tours of various land, sea, and rail transport activities across all regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. These actions are part of the Authority's strategy aimed at raising the level of compliance with regulations and laws, ensuring the quality of services provided to beneficiaries, and enhancing public safety standards in the transport and logistics sector.
Official statistics released by the authority revealed that it conducted over 437,735 thorough inspections during the month, resulting in the detection of 90,295 various violations. These figures reflect the massive scale of fieldwork undertaken by the inspection teams to regulate and control the sector, in line with the objectives of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy, which aims to solidify the Kingdom's position as a global logistics hub.
Compliance indicators in various transport sectors
The statistical indicator showed a disparity in the number of inspections and compliance rates among the three sectors, and the details are as follows:
- Land transport: It accounted for the largest share of operations with 430,066 inspections, and recorded a compliance rate of 93%.
- Maritime transport: 7,574 inspections were carried out, achieving a very high compliance rate of 99%.
- Rail transport: Recorded 95 inspections, achieving a perfect score of 100% compliance.
These high compliance rates, particularly in the maritime and rail sectors, indicate the success of regulatory policies and the awareness of operators of the importance of adhering to technical and regulatory requirements.
Geographical distribution of observed violations
Regarding the geographical distribution of violations, the Makkah region the list, recording the highest number of violations with 30,354, attributed to the high volume of traffic in the region. The Riyadh region came in second with 24,831 violations, followed by the Eastern Province with 11,301, then the Madinah region with 6,039, and the Asir region with 4,032. The remaining violations were distributed in varying proportions across the other regions of the Kingdom.
The most prominent types of violations and the measures taken
The authority indicated that the violations detected were primarily concentrated in the land transport sector, totaling 90,281 violations, while maritime transport recorded only 14 violations. The most prominent violations included:
- Failure to meet the necessary safety requirements in vehicles and transported materials.
- Practicing the activity of transporting passengers without a license (Kaddada) using private cars.
- Working without a valid driver's license or with cancelled operating licenses.
The Public Transport Authority confirmed that it has applied deterrent penalties against violators, including the impounding of 1,045 vehicles that failed to comply with regulations and technical requirements. This firm enforcement of penalties is a cornerstone for protecting legitimate investors in the sector, preventing unfair competition caused by unlicensed transport, and ensuring the safety of passengers and goods on the roads, which ultimately benefits the national economy and society as a whole.
