Pilgrims want two drivers for Umrah buses

SOME Umrah pilgrims, who have returned recently from their trip to Saudi Arabia by bus, have suggested that tour operators assign two drivers instead of one who drives continuously for about 18 hours.

The pilgrims have also complained about the vehicles, which they said are old and poorly maintained.

The buses, carrying up to 50 people, take pilgrims from Doha to Makkah via the Abu Samrah border post. The journey takes about 18-20 hours, one way.

One pilgrim who recently returned after performing Umrah, termed his bus journey as “absolutely horrendous”.

“The seats of the bus were old and saggy with loose frames. When we reclined the cushion the seats fell forward. The air conditioning was barely functional and the vents were broken too.”

The 10-day road trip includes visiting the cities of Makkah and Madinah.

According to the pilgrim, the driver had some papers missing, causing delays at the Qatar side of immigration and some four-hour delay at the Saudi post, leaving passengers panting for breath in the summer heat.

“Understandably, the passengers who comprised a diverse mix, were going on a pilgrim-

age and as such only a few complained. But it was when the passengers were off-loaded in Makkah, Islam’s holiest city, that the bus driver “misled” us saying that the hotel was just 100m from the Grand Mosque, when it turned out to be 2km away,” he said.

The trip cost him QR900, which included travel and accommodation in both Makkah and Madinah.

“My mother kept asking me why there is only one driver for the whole journey, when there should be at least two, working in tandem,” he added.

On July 20, three Umrah pilgrims from Qatar were killed when their bus carrying 35 people rear-ended a fuel tank on its way to Doha. Some others were seriously injured. The accident is understood to have occurred as the driver dozed off behind the wheel.

“The authorities must check the state of affairs at the Umrah and Haj tour operators,” he said.

The Haj Affairs Committee of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs oversees the operators’ day-to-day functions and has set out extensive guidelines for them to follow.

An official of Doha Mission (Tour) for Haj and Umrah says that each bus has to have one driver and a helper and the buses usually travel as a caravan.

“Also, if any of our buses breaks down, we get on-site assistance from Saudi Transport Company. Most of the companies operate a young fleet,” he explained.

There are close to 30 companies that operate Haj and Umrah tours in Qatar. They charge from QR700 to QR6,000 per person, depending on the season. The cost could be as much as QR15,000 if one opts for an expensive operator who provides 5-star facilities. Some only cater to Qataris.

“Rates are decided by the union of operators taking the going rates of hotels in Saudi Arabia into consideration. Since last year, there has been an average increase of QR100 per room,” he said.

An official at the Al Harmain Tours for Haj and Umrah explained that of late, business was difficult as the Saudi government had fixed a quota for visitors from Qatar, even for Umrah. Previously, quotas were allotted to countries only for Haj.

“Large-scale construction is going on in Makkah for expansion purposes. The Saudi government wants to complete the project by Ramadan and that’s why they have restricted the number of visitors,” he said.

However, according to Juma Mohamed al-Kuwari of Haj and Umrah Tour, things are expected to look up as Qatar might be given a quota of 7,000 pilgrims for Haj, unlike in the previous years when only 5,000 were allowed.