Abu Dhabi: Most bus companies carrying passengers to Saudi Arabia, especially on the 30-hour Umrah trip to Makkah, use only one driver, risking the safety of passengers, Gulf News has learnt.
Passengers travelling for Umrah complain that they are forced to use buses for the journey of more than 1,700km with just one driver. "It is very scary as the single driver gets exhausted in the middle of the long trip, putting the lives of passengers and other road users in danger."
Passengers have also called on the UAE authorities to take action against companies violating the rules. Tamim Ahmad, an Abu Dhabi resident who went recently on an Umrah trip, said the driver got extremely exhausted... but he was forced to continue as there was no other driver to replace him. "All of us got worried and prayed for our safety," he said.
"Most companies are assigning only one driver per bus for the long journey to Makkah. I witnessed drivers talking about being forced to drive 24 hours continuously without rest. This practice is definitely not acceptable and may lead to some tragic accidents," said Ahmad.
"Our first rest stop was at the border's checkpoint, after 16 hours of driving. We stopped for three hours during which we couldn't sleep or rest, nor could the driver. We were so nervous to go all this distance with one driver who did not get a single minute of sleep. We had only stopped twice for coffee and the break time was just around 10 minutes."
Long journey
"One driver for long trips is too risky. We have two drivers and a supervisor for each of our buses going on long journeys," Abdullah Bin Karam, owner of Bin Karam company, told Gulf News.
An official at the Abu Dhabi Municipality said the use of one driver for such a long journey is a violation of the law. "This is against the law as the federal laws in the UAE limit the working hours to eight daily and for some professions nine. Companies have no right to ask any employee to work more than two hours' overtime a day," Qasim Jameel, director of the guidance department at the Municipality, told Gulf News.
However, a number of managers at transportation companies said they don't see why they should appoint two drivers for the 1,700km journey. They believe that one driver can make the trip on his own without an assistant.
"I assign one driver per bus. I am aware that the trip to Makkah can take about 30 hours and that there is a previous record of road accidents, at least not with my buses," said the owner of a bus transport company on condition of anonymity. He said the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowment also does not require more than one driver per bus. "We will comply if they want," he added.
More than one driver needed
Mohsen Bekhit Al Menhali, Head of the External Roads Section in the Abu Dhabi Police Traffic and Patrol Department, advised bus companies to have more than one qualified bus driver for long journeys.
"Both the owners and drivers must understand that driving a bus is a huge responsibility that must be taken very seriously," he said.
Overworked drivers can call 800665 (a toll free number) to file a confidential complaint or seek help at the Ministry of Labour.
