ne of the universal and constant complaints you hear from returning Hajjees is the 'transportation'. "The bus was late", "The bus never showed up", "We were stuck in traffic for 6 hours" and many more. Most of this frustration is due to the fact that most people are not adequately explained the transportation situation during Hajj and neither are they explained the types of transportations available to them before leaving.
By far the best mode of transportation during Hajj is walking. By walking to the different rites, instead of using the traditional transportation choices, you will find it less stressful and more fruitful. However, for most people walking many miles a day is not an option. In that case the key to avoiding transportation frustration is to ask the right questions when choosing your Hajj package and choosing a package which fits your needs
Insha'Allah at the end of the article, you should have enough information to be able to decide which option is best for you and be on your way on choosing the most suitable Hajj 2008 package for you and your family.
This article includes:
» Comparison of transportation available
» Questions you should ask Hajj Groups
» Image gallery of what your transportation might look like
» Virtual walk through of a bus
» Terminology
Throughout this article we will be using the phrase Ministry of Hajj and Mutawwif [who is the Ministry of Hajj representative]. When you enter Saudi Arabia, you are assigned to a Mutawwif 's office. They take your passport and keep them until you depart. They are also responsible for providing you with the Ministry of Hajj services such as lodging and transportation. You have paid for these services through the Unified Agents Fee you pay while getting your Hajj visa. Usually one Mutawwif office is responsible for a few thousand people. Their offices are spread around the city and denoted by numbers.
» General Transportation Overview
Travelling by bus is by far the most common means of transportation during Hajj. The official figures is that approximately 70,000 buses are in use during the Hajj season to shuttle the millions of pilgrims from point A to point B. Most of the buses are leased by nearby countries to meet the demand and for the most part most of them are air conditioned. Since this number of buses is only used during the Hajj season, the infrastructure of Madinah and Makkah become heavily strained with such a load. Add into this the load of foot traffic, car traffic, cultural differences in traffic laws and you can see why transportation and traffic is one of the major problems of Hajj. Journeys of only a mile or two can literally take hours.
Most Hajj Groups will offer one of the two types of classification of buses: Private buses contracted through a private company or Ministry of Hajj provided buses. Hajj Groups will use varying names to market these different types of buses such as "deluxe buses", "air conditioned buses", "private deluxe buses" etc. It is important that you ask the right questions so that you know exactly what to expect when you get to Hajj.
» Comparing Transportation Choices
In the following section we will compare the advantages and disadvantages between Private Buses and Ministry of Hajj Buses.
Measure
Private Buses
Ministry of Hajj Buses
Quality
The quality of these buses are usual very good. Most are newer buses. The usual makes include Mercedes, Volvo or Volkswagon. The seats are wide and ample leg room. Some have built-in restrooms. Since you maybe sitting on a bus for more than 6-8 hrs at a time, seat comfort and leg room should be paid attention to. In addition luggage is usually stowed in storage areas under the bus. Comparative buses in the U.S. would be private charter type buses. Compartive buses in the UK would be the coaches used by National Express. See the image gallery below for pictures of private buses.
Since these buses are sometime known as 'government' buses, a sort of negative stigma may be attached. The condition can vary from good to bad depending on where the Ministry of Hajj contracted the bus from. The usual makes include Hyundayi. If you get assigned to an older bus, be prepared for seats to be a bit smaller than the private buses. Your luggage will most probably be tied down to the top of the bus rather than storage areas under the bus. See the image gallery below for examples of private buses.
Measure
Private Buses
Ministry of Hajj Buses
Drivers
The drivers seem to be trained and more aware of the navigation skills needed to navigate during Hajj traffic. Many know short cuts to get from point A to point B.
The drivers seem to be a bit less trained in navigating the streets of Makkah and Madinah. Many are brought in from nearby countries to fill the Hajj needs. Some are not familiar with the area. Many times delays on Ministry of Hajj buses is because the driver got lost.
Measure
Private Buses
Ministry of Hajj Buses
Scheduling
With private transportation, your group should have a contract with a company for x amount of buses for your groups. The schedule has been arranged ahead of time with the company in regards to where and when the buses should be. In many cases, such as at Mina/Arafat/Muzdallifah the private buses stay with the group in different parts of Hajj so to avoid traffic.
As you can imagine, if you have the vast majority of Hajjees using the Ministry of Hajj buses, there is going to be some wait time. If your group decides to take the Ministry of Hajj buses, the usual process is that when you are about to depart your location, one of your group representative will go to the Mutawwif's office assigned to your group. If you were assigned to Mutawwif #55, when your group is ready to go anywhere (for ex. Makkah to Mina), your group would send their representative to the Mutawwif's office to request transportation for their group. Depending on how many other groups are requesting buses from the same Mutawwif the wait can be considerable. What frustrates most people with Ministry of Hajj scheduling is that you may have to check out of your room at 1pm. If the bus is not there by 1pm, you have to put all your luggage outside or in the lobby and stay with it. Take into account that other groups maybe in the same situation so you have hundreds of people waiting in the lobby with hundreds of pieces of luggage. Since you are not sure what time the bus will arrive, you are not recommended by the Groups to pray at the Haram as you may miss the bus. So the fustration builds wasting precious time waiting in a lobby missing salah at the Haram.
Measure
Private Buses
Ministry of Hajj Buses
Cost
Choosing a Hajj package with private buses will increase your costs.
Choosing a Hajj package with Ministry of Hajj buses will be considerably cheaper. Costs for Ministry of Hajj buses is usually taken care by your Unified Agent Fees" of about 5 U.S. dollars (in the U.S.). The Ministry of Hajj takes this money from Hajjees at the airport and provides coupons for buses, lodging. You maybe able to negotiate the price of package that includes the Ministry of Hajj provided buses, since you have already paid for the bus out of the Unified Agent Fees/Hajj Draft.
Important Information about Tawaaf and transportation
There are two Tawaafs that need to be performed during Hajj. Tawaaf Ifaadah and Tawaah Widaah. Tawaaf Ifaadah needs to be performed before the end of the days of Tashreek when you are still in Mina. Hence, you need transportation to get from Mina to Makkah [about 5 miles] to perform Tawaaf Ifaadah.
Most Hajj Groups that arrange for private transportation provide transportation from Mina to Makkah for Tawaaf Ifaadah and Tawaaf Widaah.
Ministry of Hajj Buses, in most years are not provide for this Tawaaf. It is very difficult to find transportation from Mina to Makkah for Tawaf Ifaadah if your Hajj package uses Ministry of Hajj Buses. This is probably the most frustrating aspect of using Ministry of Hajj provided buses. Since, the Tawaaf is an Arkan of Hajj and cannot be left out, everyone must do it. Yet, finding transportation is impossible going from Mina to Makkah and back.
» Questions to Ask When Talking to Hajj Groups
1. Which type of transportation is included in your Hajj package, Private buses or Ministry of Hajj buses? Is this type of transportation used for the entire trip?
2. Does your Hajj package provide transportation for the following?
a) Muzdallifah to Mina
b) Mina to Makkah for Tawaaf Ifaadah (roundtrip)
c) Mina to Makkah for Tawaaf Widaah (roundtrip)
