Business & Money | Friday 13 March, 2015 3:39 am |

Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who is also the chairman of the ministerial supervisory committee on public transport, has ordered all contracts for the public transport system (including metro and buses) in Makkah, Jeddah and Taif to incorporate a clause for the Saudization of the public transport industries, all the way from spare parts workers through to the manufacturing phase.
The governor directed a meeting with members of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) in Jeddah, calling for the establishment of spare part factories in the province.

“The sector should provide job opportunities to Saudi youth, enabling the province and its population to benefit from all major projects. These should also serve as a source of income for them and their families, especially as the national work force is a major pillar of the comprehensive and sustainable development of any country,” he said.
SAGIA members gave a presentation to the prince on the Saudization of the public transport industry, emphasizing the construction of transportation equipment and operating machinery by Saudi people.
Members of the committee said the Saudiization of the public transport industry in the province would create approximately 2,500 jobs.
This is said to be in addition to 1,500 jobs in the field of basic components. They pointed out that the Saudization of the industry would also lead to a cut in costs for the transport industry in the long run.

Separately, sources said the government plans to launch two public transport systems in Makkah and Jeddah at a total cost of SR107 billion.
The Makkah public transport system involves a metro system for Haj and Umrah pilgrims year-round, and a rapid transit bus network with 60 depots to serve the Grand Mosque and areas that are not covered by the metro or rapid transit buses. The total length of system is 65 kilometers between the Grand Mosque and other neighborhoods.
The Taif Municipality has also completed the first phase of a study on the public transport system and now is in the second phase, which involves the design of the main center of the public transport network, and the main station and branch stations for light trains and buses within the city.