Shuttle services to the Haram in Mecca have started, causing taxi prices to double

Hundreds of thousands of Muslims in the blessed lands for the pilgrimage duty are suffering from increased taxi fares due to the traffic chaos at the Kaaba. Pilgrims coming from Turkey to the blessed cities travel to the Kaaba from their hotels in the Aziziye region by shuttle buses. However, when the shuttles are stopped 3 days before the Terviye day, taxi and minibus fares in the city increase by 3 to 20 times. Pilgrims who reach the House of Allah in Kaaba by walking from the Aziziye region, which is 3-5 kilometers away, are faced with astronomical prices like 100 riyals (860 TL) when they want to take a vehicle back tiredly. Helpless and tired, especially pilgrims over the age of 60, are forced to use taxis. While a large number of pilgrims return to their hotels walking through tunnels, some have to cover part of the way with a minibus or a wheelchair for 100 riyals. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, mentioning that the traffic congestion in the Haram area can be relieved with a rail system, also criticize the failure to establish a rail system close to the Kaaba for years. Meanwhile, with the closure of entrances to the Haram area, the visa controls by the police have increased. Document checks conducted on the roads with both patrol vehicles and multiple police officers cause traffic jams, and the asking of “Nusuk” cards from guests in areas with pedestrian traffic is noteworthy. Taxi drivers using side streets pick up exhausted pilgrims in Ihram emerging from the tunnels in the Mahbesu’l-Jinn region and take them to hotels in more distant areas. The recent days in Kaaba are left to the pilgrims staying in the vicinity. Pilgrims who will stay for a short period in the less crowded Kaaba can perform Tawaf comfortably. Those staying in hotels 3 to 10 kilometers away from the Haram are waiting for the bus services starting on the 4th day of Eid al-Adha.