The Public Transport Authority (PTA) has announced the largest project for transporting passengers by buses connecting the Saudi cities, through a transportation network that covers more than 200 cities and governorates.
The network is expected to serve more than 6 million passengers annually, through 76 routes, and with a new fleet of buses equipped with the latest technologies that allow the use of environmentally friendly vehicles.
This announcement came during a ceremony held by the Authority in the presence of the Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Public Transport Authority, Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, and representatives from the public and private sectors.
Three contracts were signed for intercity transportation projects with the participation of major global alliances aimed at finding and providing advanced quality services for passenger transport by buses between the Kingdom’s cities.
Al-Jasser said that this project is the first foreign investment in intercity transportation services, which opens the way for future investments in this sector.
He praised the role of PTA in transforming challenges into successful investment opportunities that will add the equivalent of SR3.2 billion annually to the gross domestic product.
He stressed that the project will serve several other sectors, including supporting tourism development and contribute to enhancing economic diversification and consolidating partnerships with the private sector.
The National Strategy for Transport and Logistics Services aims to increase the share of using public transportation in the Kingdom from 1% to 15% by 2030.
The project will also contribute to translating one of the most important objectives of the strategy, which establishes the quality of life in cities among its priorities, by reducing the percentage of carbon emissions for transportation to reach 25% by 2030.