1 00:00:04,510 --> 00:00:08,230 Kaan: Thank you for listening to Mobility Redefined, brought to you by Modaxo. 2 00:00:08,830 --> 00:00:12,640 For more insights and information, please visit mobilityredefined. 3 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:13,339 com. 4 00:00:13,630 --> 00:00:15,220 That is Mobility Redefined. 5 00:00:15,510 --> 00:00:15,770 com 6 00:00:17,506 --> 00:00:22,036 Welcome to the Mobility Redefined Podcast, where we spotlight transformative 7 00:00:22,036 --> 00:00:26,386 mobility leaders and projects reshaping how cities are moving. 8 00:00:26,896 --> 00:00:31,186 I am Dr. Kaan Yidizgoz, and today I'm very pleased to be joined by my 9 00:00:31,186 --> 00:00:35,686 good friend, Mr. Hammam Saab vice President for Technical Affairs 10 00:00:35,686 --> 00:00:37,386 at Jeddah Transport Company. 11 00:00:37,896 --> 00:00:42,046 Jeddah is Saudi Arabia's second largest city, and the critical gateway 12 00:00:42,046 --> 00:00:44,866 for pilgrims and global travelers. 13 00:00:45,436 --> 00:00:49,876 As the Saudi Arabia positions itself for Vision 2030. 14 00:00:49,876 --> 00:00:54,256 Cities like Jeddah are undergoing historic transport transformations 15 00:00:54,586 --> 00:01:00,016 from modernizing their bus systems to reimagining tax operations and preparing 16 00:01:00,016 --> 00:01:02,176 to host World Cup in the country. 17 00:01:02,616 --> 00:01:06,886 Hammam is at the technical helm of this evolution, helping Jeddah. 18 00:01:07,261 --> 00:01:12,421 Designing systems that are smarter, more sustainable, and more inclusive. 19 00:01:12,751 --> 00:01:13,711 Welcome Hammam. 20 00:01:14,461 --> 00:01:16,771 Hammam: Thank you so much Kaan for this, introduction. 21 00:01:16,991 --> 00:01:19,641 I'll do my best, to give the insight of what we're doing here. 22 00:01:20,281 --> 00:01:21,351 you're talking about Jeddah. 23 00:01:21,671 --> 00:01:25,621 we have a very common saying, in Arabic, Jeddah Ghair means Jeddah is different. 24 00:01:26,251 --> 00:01:27,901 Jeddah is energetic city. 25 00:01:27,901 --> 00:01:29,281 Jeddah has a soul. 26 00:01:29,821 --> 00:01:30,651 Jeddah is popular. 27 00:01:30,651 --> 00:01:31,551 Jeddah is loved. 28 00:01:31,581 --> 00:01:32,811 Jeddah is fun. 29 00:01:33,371 --> 00:01:36,051 Jeddah is definitely a unique city in the kingdom. 30 00:01:36,561 --> 00:01:41,421 And, I hope in my line of work we can support, the way of living for 31 00:01:41,421 --> 00:01:45,321 the Jeddawis people, visitors and residents through our projects in 32 00:01:45,321 --> 00:01:46,771 public transportation inshallah. 33 00:01:47,766 --> 00:01:49,596 Kaan: that's great to have you Hammam with us. 34 00:01:49,596 --> 00:01:53,346 Thanks for joining once again, and let's dive into how Jeddah is navigating this 35 00:01:53,346 --> 00:01:55,586 ambitious mobility, transformation. 36 00:01:55,801 --> 00:01:56,421 And let me. 37 00:01:56,991 --> 00:02:02,721 Start with a question asking you about Jeddah's role in Vision 2030 and National 38 00:02:02,721 --> 00:02:04,281 Transport Strategy of the country. 39 00:02:04,491 --> 00:02:08,451 How does Jeddah Transport Company's work align with this vision and 40 00:02:08,451 --> 00:02:10,041 national mobility priorities? 41 00:02:11,406 --> 00:02:15,366 Hammam: Saudi's Vision 2030 is our manual into the future. 42 00:02:15,986 --> 00:02:19,496 it's just a clear vision of how our future country will 43 00:02:19,496 --> 00:02:21,086 be, our future cities will be. 44 00:02:21,506 --> 00:02:25,666 And Jeddah being the second largest city in the kingdom, has a lot of potential, 45 00:02:25,666 --> 00:02:29,446 has a lot of aspects that we should be focusing on to help the country. 46 00:02:29,731 --> 00:02:35,381 Move into the, the future, in a very, outstanding way as what we aim for our, 47 00:02:35,411 --> 00:02:41,141 country inshallah Jeddah is like I was saying, the second largest city, it is 48 00:02:41,141 --> 00:02:43,061 the gateway to the two Holy mosques. 49 00:02:43,531 --> 00:02:46,161 it has, it's the commercial capital of Saudi. 50 00:02:46,161 --> 00:02:50,741 It's also, has one of the largest ports in the region, has maybe one of 51 00:02:50,741 --> 00:02:52,451 the busiest airports in the region. 52 00:02:52,901 --> 00:02:57,371 So definitely we need to roll up our sleeves and gear into doing 53 00:02:57,371 --> 00:03:00,341 whatever it takes to meet the ambitious plans for our vision. 54 00:03:00,341 --> 00:03:01,541 2030 for the country. 55 00:03:02,791 --> 00:03:06,561 Kaan: I think you were mentioning about, one of the largest airports, I think what 56 00:03:06,561 --> 00:03:11,471 I was reading some, some weeks ago, in the newspaper saying that in the busy period 57 00:03:11,471 --> 00:03:15,161 there's a hundred thousand passengers per day using the Jeddahs airport. 58 00:03:15,161 --> 00:03:16,691 It was very interesting figure. 59 00:03:17,431 --> 00:03:18,481 Hammam: yes, absolutely. 60 00:03:18,531 --> 00:03:22,161 it's, we have millions of people come for certain season to Jeddah 61 00:03:22,181 --> 00:03:23,891 in specific to go to Mecca Medina. 62 00:03:24,311 --> 00:03:28,181 And definitely Jeddah has the airport that's, enough size and 63 00:03:28,181 --> 00:03:30,791 equipped to receive all these people. 64 00:03:31,151 --> 00:03:35,621 It's definitely an important link from Jeddah to the two holy cities 65 00:03:35,711 --> 00:03:37,661 plus other cities in the region. 66 00:03:37,991 --> 00:03:39,671 So definitely Jeddah is a hub. 67 00:03:40,446 --> 00:03:42,096 For whomever comes to the kingdom. 68 00:03:43,366 --> 00:03:46,666 Kaan: And then what I know is that Jeddah is, you are working in terms of 69 00:03:46,666 --> 00:03:48,616 revamping the bus system of the city. 70 00:03:49,006 --> 00:03:52,446 Can you walk us through the scale of this, transformation and what 71 00:03:52,446 --> 00:03:55,426 residents can expect from the bus transport in the future in Jeddah? 72 00:03:56,696 --> 00:03:59,096 Hammam: Uh, yes, that's actually, that's my universe. 73 00:03:59,146 --> 00:04:03,166 we started a bus network, a humble bus network in 2018 that 74 00:04:03,166 --> 00:04:04,756 lasted for about seven years. 75 00:04:04,756 --> 00:04:06,226 It was only six lines. 76 00:04:06,736 --> 00:04:09,336 And, I have to admit that we are learning as we go. 77 00:04:09,546 --> 00:04:11,136 We learned a lot through this period. 78 00:04:11,796 --> 00:04:17,096 And, ham, we just signed the contract for a new bus service last April, 79 00:04:17,636 --> 00:04:21,886 and, we have, Now 14 lines versus what we had before are six lines. 80 00:04:22,306 --> 00:04:27,226 And we have a larger fleet of buses using the latest technology in buses and also 81 00:04:27,226 --> 00:04:29,326 environmental friendly euro five buses. 82 00:04:29,836 --> 00:04:33,456 And, some of the fleet is, electrical buses as well. 83 00:04:33,936 --> 00:04:36,596 So definitely that's, that's our, bread and butter. 84 00:04:36,596 --> 00:04:37,916 That's what we do every day. 85 00:04:38,336 --> 00:04:40,436 We also constructed a few bus. 86 00:04:40,716 --> 00:04:44,086 Stations, air conditioned bus stations, and we expect to increase 87 00:04:44,086 --> 00:04:46,456 the number every year in Shaah. 88 00:04:46,766 --> 00:04:51,626 we just also announced the start of a sea taxi network a couple of months 89 00:04:51,626 --> 00:04:56,226 ago, and, we are working on the first and last mile as part of our network. 90 00:04:56,646 --> 00:04:58,206 This is what we do every day. 91 00:04:58,306 --> 00:05:02,446 we plan, we think we brainstorm different ideas, and we look forward 92 00:05:02,446 --> 00:05:05,301 to having increased fleet as we get along in the future years. 93 00:05:06,511 --> 00:05:10,171 Kaan: And then you were mentioning about the sea taxis, and maybe you can 94 00:05:10,171 --> 00:05:14,191 also tell us about your plans in terms of the taxi transport in the city and 95 00:05:14,221 --> 00:05:16,281 together with this, sea taxi, option. 96 00:05:17,351 --> 00:05:21,671 Hammam: the Sea Taxi, we started a small network and we expected to grow in Shaah. 97 00:05:21,721 --> 00:05:23,311 like Jeddah is on the Red Sea. 98 00:05:23,311 --> 00:05:26,981 Of course, the sea is the main feature of, coastal city like Jeddah. 99 00:05:27,321 --> 00:05:30,681 It's definitely an attraction point where many people would definitely, 100 00:05:30,951 --> 00:05:34,461 I can see now, if someone comes to Jeddah Haji or Amra people, 101 00:05:34,611 --> 00:05:35,961 they have their buses go near. 102 00:05:36,431 --> 00:05:39,671 Any marina and they take a tour around the Red Sea. 103 00:05:40,001 --> 00:05:42,381 So this has become an important aspect for us. 104 00:05:42,381 --> 00:05:46,211 It's, it's transportation slash tourism sea taxi. 105 00:05:46,541 --> 00:05:50,021 We expect in the future the fleet will grow, we'll have more stops to 106 00:05:50,021 --> 00:05:54,631 serve Jeddah and the kind of suburbs near Jeddah And we hope also to have 107 00:05:54,631 --> 00:05:58,381 some advanced technology for the operation of the sea taxis in Shaah. 108 00:05:59,421 --> 00:06:00,051 Kaan: that's perfect. 109 00:06:00,051 --> 00:06:03,771 And then in terms of the regular taxes in the city, what's your plan? 110 00:06:03,771 --> 00:06:04,226 I was hearing. 111 00:06:04,371 --> 00:06:07,221 A lot from your colleagues in terms of, let's say there is now currently 112 00:06:07,221 --> 00:06:10,511 mostly the individuals are owning and operating the taxis, and then how do 113 00:06:10,511 --> 00:06:12,281 you plan to change this taxi landscape? 114 00:06:12,281 --> 00:06:16,511 Because we heard that the Transport General Authority gave some, some advices 115 00:06:16,531 --> 00:06:20,081 to the different cities, and then you are trying to follow these advices as well. 116 00:06:21,046 --> 00:06:24,466 Hammam: Actually, that's definitely a good question because just recently, 117 00:06:24,516 --> 00:06:28,836 we have been tasked with the responsibility to update, upgrade the 118 00:06:28,836 --> 00:06:30,401 taxi service in the city of Jeddah. 119 00:06:31,126 --> 00:06:34,836 Like you mentioned now is running almost by individuals, many companies, 120 00:06:34,836 --> 00:06:37,016 and it's not controlled that much. 121 00:06:37,016 --> 00:06:40,826 We expect in the future there are about 3000 taxis running in the 122 00:06:40,826 --> 00:06:42,236 city of Jeddah for the time being. 123 00:06:42,776 --> 00:06:45,986 We expect in the near future to have franchise companies maybe. 124 00:06:46,031 --> 00:06:50,111 Four or five companies that will be running the taxi service in Jada. 125 00:06:50,381 --> 00:06:53,021 We expect the service will be done through applications. 126 00:06:53,471 --> 00:06:57,201 We expect that, we'll have, modern cars, with much better service to 127 00:06:57,201 --> 00:07:01,071 the city in Shaah, and we expect to have certain parking spots. 128 00:07:01,071 --> 00:07:04,871 For the taxis in the major, busy points, malls, points 129 00:07:04,871 --> 00:07:06,011 of interest, stuff like that. 130 00:07:06,461 --> 00:07:08,411 So definitely it's in our plans. 131 00:07:08,411 --> 00:07:14,071 we hope, in about, beginning of next year we can sign the first franchise, to bring 132 00:07:14,101 --> 00:07:17,101 up the, taxi service in Jeddah inshallah 133 00:07:18,116 --> 00:07:19,046 Kaan: so that's perfect. 134 00:07:19,046 --> 00:07:23,606 It seems that, you know, Jeddah is also becoming an very interesting hub for 135 00:07:23,606 --> 00:07:25,796 the taxi operating companies globally. 136 00:07:26,066 --> 00:07:29,396 So they will have a more interest, to get in touch and then, to put 137 00:07:29,396 --> 00:07:30,876 their fleet on the ground there. 138 00:07:31,176 --> 00:07:34,116 So I'm sure that your doors are being knocked a lot by the 139 00:07:34,116 --> 00:07:35,506 different operators as of today. 140 00:07:36,376 --> 00:07:39,926 Hammam: Yes, actually, maybe if I can talk about the general aspect. 141 00:07:39,926 --> 00:07:44,096 We hope within the next five, let's say about around five years, we'll 142 00:07:44,096 --> 00:07:48,226 have an integrated, application that can give residents and visitors, 143 00:07:48,276 --> 00:07:51,516 the full trip from wherever they are, into wherever they wanna go. 144 00:07:51,966 --> 00:07:54,546 That application should have, of course, the buses. 145 00:07:54,906 --> 00:07:59,196 Hopefully it'll have also provision for the sea taxi and the normal taxi as well. 146 00:07:59,661 --> 00:08:03,941 Hopefully also, it'll have provision for the first and last mile as it is 147 00:08:03,941 --> 00:08:08,921 known, the environment in this part of the world can be very hot and humid, so 148 00:08:08,921 --> 00:08:11,831 we wanna make sure that the people, we encourage the people to use the public 149 00:08:11,831 --> 00:08:15,551 transportation as much as possible through giving them a complete solution. 150 00:08:16,541 --> 00:08:21,321 So once a person gets out of his house, he can get, a vehicle that will take him 151 00:08:21,321 --> 00:08:26,241 to the nearest bus stop and then he can take the bus and that might take him to 152 00:08:26,241 --> 00:08:30,531 whatever his destination is, and then maybe he can also get into the sea taxi 153 00:08:30,891 --> 00:08:33,321 or the last mile to reach his destination. 154 00:08:33,831 --> 00:08:37,251 So we're definitely looking for an integrated, complete solution to 155 00:08:37,251 --> 00:08:39,101 support public transportation in Jeddah. 156 00:08:40,166 --> 00:08:42,326 Kaan: And then you were mentioning, you were explaining the last mile. 157 00:08:42,386 --> 00:08:46,616 Are you having any idea in terms of like a bus on demand and this kind 158 00:08:46,616 --> 00:08:48,281 of services DRT type of services? 159 00:08:48,961 --> 00:08:51,141 Hammam: we're planning to have certain trial of different, 160 00:08:51,141 --> 00:08:52,691 options in the city of Jeddah. 161 00:08:53,241 --> 00:08:57,201 We think in the near future we might try something that looks like vans, like small 162 00:08:57,201 --> 00:09:02,301 vans as we expect that people will, can get this vehicle outside their house. 163 00:09:02,661 --> 00:09:07,586 So, we think a small, vans with maybe up to 12 passengers can do the job. 164 00:09:07,976 --> 00:09:12,686 And this will be feeding the nearest, bus station or whatever network, the. 165 00:09:13,076 --> 00:09:14,566 passengers are planning to get into. 166 00:09:14,926 --> 00:09:18,876 So we expect that the people will leave home and comfort get into the 167 00:09:18,876 --> 00:09:23,196 air conditioned van, get into the air conditioned bus stop and then go 168 00:09:23,196 --> 00:09:26,646 into his destination through the bus or any other means that he will need. 169 00:09:27,096 --> 00:09:30,306 We're still exploring different options, how we will do it, and 170 00:09:30,306 --> 00:09:31,536 like I was telling you before. 171 00:09:32,036 --> 00:09:34,076 What we're doing here, we're learning. 172 00:09:34,076 --> 00:09:38,426 So we try something and we see if it works or not, and then we improve on it and we 173 00:09:38,426 --> 00:09:40,486 move forward, further into that direction. 174 00:09:41,441 --> 00:09:45,516 Kaan: And, Jeddah is now also, connected with other cities with a high speed rail. 175 00:09:45,846 --> 00:09:48,726 So that's, I guess, that that's giving you a lot of relief in 176 00:09:48,726 --> 00:09:50,046 terms of reach into the city. 177 00:09:50,046 --> 00:09:53,106 And then you may have some ideas to put some rail inside 178 00:09:53,106 --> 00:09:54,216 the city in the future as well. 179 00:09:54,216 --> 00:09:55,656 Can you tell us about this also? 180 00:09:56,691 --> 00:09:59,521 Hammam: for the time being, we're connecting, our network, our bus 181 00:09:59,521 --> 00:10:01,921 network to the two railway stations. 182 00:10:01,921 --> 00:10:05,171 There is one at the airport, the high speed rail, and there's another one 183 00:10:05,171 --> 00:10:06,741 in an area named the Sulaymaniyah. 184 00:10:07,151 --> 00:10:11,171 And our buses reach both destinations and it connects the whole city of 185 00:10:11,171 --> 00:10:14,931 Jeddah Actually, Not only that, there's a bus network that goes 186 00:10:14,961 --> 00:10:16,551 to other cities in the kingdom. 187 00:10:16,911 --> 00:10:19,011 We're connecting our network to that as well. 188 00:10:19,581 --> 00:10:24,071 And, we expect, maybe, like you mentioned before, Haj and other 189 00:10:24,091 --> 00:10:28,141 seasons, we expect to increase the frequency of our bus fleet, whatever. 190 00:10:28,141 --> 00:10:30,421 There's, there's certain demand for such thing. 191 00:10:31,031 --> 00:10:36,401 and we expect our network to really be, flexible enough to adapt to any, 192 00:10:36,661 --> 00:10:38,801 expected, demand in any direction. 193 00:10:39,551 --> 00:10:43,931 Kaan: And, when we look at all these preparations, it is certainly, let's say. 194 00:10:44,411 --> 00:10:48,824 A way for increasing your readiness for the Haj, which you are every 195 00:10:48,824 --> 00:10:52,839 year, hosting more than 2 million pilgrims visitors to, your city. 196 00:10:53,109 --> 00:10:57,079 And also you have the World Cup, that's coming very soon to the, to your country. 197 00:10:57,289 --> 00:11:01,769 So how you can be linking all your efforts with both the Haj and World Cup. 198 00:11:01,874 --> 00:11:05,194 Hammam: there was a, recent survey saying that about, 30% 199 00:11:05,194 --> 00:11:06,634 of Haji will spend few days in. 200 00:11:07,134 --> 00:11:09,654 And like I was saying, Jeddah is a commercial hub, a major 201 00:11:09,654 --> 00:11:10,704 commercial hub in Saudi. 202 00:11:10,704 --> 00:11:13,764 So definitely you can see a lot of haj people here. 203 00:11:14,124 --> 00:11:18,764 Our current network connects to all, methods to enter into the city of Jeddah. 204 00:11:19,244 --> 00:11:25,084 So we do have, linkage, like I was saying with the two high speed, rail stations, 205 00:11:25,384 --> 00:11:29,614 plus all the other buses that brings hajis from Mecca or Medinah and other locations. 206 00:11:30,034 --> 00:11:32,464 And, we have flexibility in our network to. 207 00:11:33,304 --> 00:11:35,164 To entertain whatever demand we have. 208 00:11:35,214 --> 00:11:39,294 so more or less we expect that all the points of interest for hagis 209 00:11:39,294 --> 00:11:40,944 are covered within our network. 210 00:11:41,484 --> 00:11:44,304 We expect in the future that aspect will grow even further. 211 00:11:44,904 --> 00:11:47,724 And in shaah, just maintaining certain flexibility. 212 00:11:47,724 --> 00:11:50,714 And we grow as as needed in any direction we need to. 213 00:11:51,464 --> 00:11:54,469 Kaan: And then World Cup for the World Cup, Hammam, I guess you will be 214 00:11:54,469 --> 00:11:55,909 hosting the games as well in Jeddah. 215 00:11:55,909 --> 00:11:56,839 Am I right on this? 216 00:11:57,254 --> 00:12:00,164 Hammam: Yes, that's true, there's gonna be four stadiums in the city 217 00:12:00,164 --> 00:12:04,994 of Jeddah and it's gonna be 2034 a little bit less than a decade from now. 218 00:12:05,564 --> 00:12:11,804 We are already planning our next bus, network to really have a heavy presence, 219 00:12:12,164 --> 00:12:17,844 to provide passenger flow to all the four stadiums and also for the World Cup final. 220 00:12:17,864 --> 00:12:18,044 They have. 221 00:12:18,309 --> 00:12:21,979 Points of interest for fans, for whatever events they will have. 222 00:12:22,319 --> 00:12:26,159 plus the hotels that will be, hosting all the visitors. 223 00:12:26,489 --> 00:12:30,509 So we expect our future network It'll have strong presence to 224 00:12:30,509 --> 00:12:32,310 support the World Cup in 2034. 225 00:12:32,315 --> 00:12:32,794 In Shaah? 226 00:12:33,578 --> 00:12:35,831 Kaan: I have, uh, Al-Hilal from Jeddah. 227 00:12:35,851 --> 00:12:37,411 Am I, am I right you football 228 00:12:37,541 --> 00:12:38,536 Hammam: no, no. 229 00:12:40,011 --> 00:12:41,031 Off your way off. 230 00:12:41,541 --> 00:12:46,101 Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli: from Jeddah By the way, Al-Ahli: just won the Asian Cup. 231 00:12:46,621 --> 00:12:50,321 Al-Ahli: just won the Asian Cup, a couple of, maybe 10 days ago. 232 00:12:50,561 --> 00:12:52,181 So you see very happy now. 233 00:12:53,951 --> 00:12:58,296 and  Al-Ittihad just won the local Saudi league just, last week. 234 00:12:58,536 --> 00:13:01,366 So Jeddah, as as far as football is concerned, Jeddah 235 00:13:01,386 --> 00:13:02,706 is very happy place these days. 236 00:13:03,186 --> 00:13:06,396 Al-Ahli won for Asia, Al-Ittihad for Saudi. 237 00:13:06,726 --> 00:13:09,326 So these are good days for, football fans for Jeddah. 238 00:13:10,006 --> 00:13:10,486 Kaan: that's great. 239 00:13:10,486 --> 00:13:13,876 And then with all this transformation, we are sure that maybe in 10 years 240 00:13:13,876 --> 00:13:16,936 time you will be winning the global prize for public transport as well 241 00:13:17,416 --> 00:13:18,616 in terms of the transformation. 242 00:13:19,516 --> 00:13:20,296 Hammam: absolutely. 243 00:13:20,651 --> 00:13:21,231 We hope so. 244 00:13:21,231 --> 00:13:21,921 Kaan: that's perfect. 245 00:13:21,921 --> 00:13:26,071 And then maybe you were also mentioning about, like, like a sustainability, 246 00:13:26,071 --> 00:13:29,011 some smart mobility, euro five. 247 00:13:29,311 --> 00:13:32,461 Are there any plans in terms of the electric bus fleets or some 248 00:13:32,461 --> 00:13:33,901 decarbonization in this front? 249 00:13:33,901 --> 00:13:36,041 What are your, what are your plans also? 250 00:13:36,936 --> 00:13:40,716 Hammam: for this specific topic, I have a very interesting story. 251 00:13:41,556 --> 00:13:43,566 It started with thumbs up on LinkedIn. 252 00:13:44,576 --> 00:13:48,496 for me, living in Jeddah, living in Saudi, I can see that there's a big city, a lot 253 00:13:48,496 --> 00:13:50,536 of pollution cars, buses caused that. 254 00:13:50,986 --> 00:13:53,596 So I saw on LinkedIn there's a company named Yutong. 255 00:13:54,076 --> 00:13:56,716 They're operating electric buses in cutters. 256 00:13:57,796 --> 00:14:00,916 So I said some good words and I had some up thumbs up for whatever, 257 00:14:00,916 --> 00:14:02,026 they were showing on LinkedIn. 258 00:14:02,806 --> 00:14:06,096 Then that was, the start of an excellent relationship with 259 00:14:06,096 --> 00:14:09,996 Yutong which led to a trial of electric bus in the city of Jeddah. 260 00:14:10,806 --> 00:14:13,416 We champion this trial for almost a year. 261 00:14:13,906 --> 00:14:16,876 we hear consultant, we ask consultant electric buses, they say, no, 262 00:14:16,876 --> 00:14:17,896 your environment is too hot. 263 00:14:18,046 --> 00:14:22,386 Maybe the, the battery will not be able to stand, air conditioning all the time. 264 00:14:22,806 --> 00:14:27,771 So, Our experience with Yutong with this actual trial gave us actual data. 265 00:14:29,291 --> 00:14:34,051 We with our operator and, had this trial and we were monitoring on daily basis, 266 00:14:34,231 --> 00:14:37,441 how efficient was air conditioning, how efficient was the battery? 267 00:14:37,831 --> 00:14:40,281 Were there any problems, with that operation? 268 00:14:40,761 --> 00:14:44,221 And I say Alhamdulillah, because at the end of the day, the 269 00:14:44,221 --> 00:14:45,991 trial was complete success. 270 00:14:46,501 --> 00:14:48,361 We have actual data that we gained. 271 00:14:48,421 --> 00:14:51,391 We did ourselves, not through consultants, not through anybody else. 272 00:14:51,931 --> 00:14:54,331 That data led into. 273 00:14:54,698 --> 00:14:59,616 Our current fleet that has few electric buses in the fleet as a permanent, buses 274 00:14:59,616 --> 00:15:04,656 operating in our, city plus It also supported other cities in the kingdom. 275 00:15:05,076 --> 00:15:08,816 Like, I don't know if you hear like in Tabuk, I think in, maybe 276 00:15:08,816 --> 00:15:10,586 Dammam and probably Medina too. 277 00:15:10,976 --> 00:15:11,276 Now. 278 00:15:11,276 --> 00:15:14,786 It became a trend that all major cities in the kingdom will 279 00:15:14,786 --> 00:15:16,476 aim to have, electric buses. 280 00:15:16,866 --> 00:15:20,136 So definitely sustainability is important aspect for us. 281 00:15:20,681 --> 00:15:26,001 The electric, or, the clean fuel vehicles will be increasing gradually. 282 00:15:26,601 --> 00:15:31,181 and, we expect every new bus package, it'll have more, better fuel. 283 00:15:31,251 --> 00:15:32,361 now we have Euro five. 284 00:15:32,361 --> 00:15:35,131 Maybe in the future it'll be euro, six or something. 285 00:15:35,491 --> 00:15:39,171 Also, we'll have maybe more buses as electric So definitely this is 286 00:15:39,171 --> 00:15:40,581 something that we're interested in. 287 00:15:41,001 --> 00:15:43,451 To add to that, even for our, taxis. 288 00:15:44,481 --> 00:15:48,501 For the franchise, we're expecting to have a certain percentage of the, 289 00:15:48,501 --> 00:15:53,121 taxis to be completely electrical, a certain percentage to be hybrid. 290 00:15:53,791 --> 00:15:57,811 and again, even for the taxis, we expect that percentage to grow. 291 00:15:58,271 --> 00:15:59,861 same goes for the sea taxi. 292 00:16:00,161 --> 00:16:03,551 We are now exploring different technologies here and there for, 293 00:16:03,581 --> 00:16:05,591 sea taxi operators that would have. 294 00:16:06,156 --> 00:16:09,576 Electric for electric vehicles for the sea taxi. 295 00:16:09,576 --> 00:16:14,106 So definitely this is one thing that my company is, focusing on, and we 296 00:16:14,106 --> 00:16:20,216 hope in few years more will have more, electric, vehicles in every aspect. 297 00:16:20,216 --> 00:16:23,741 And that will only become more and more as we go through the, in Shama. 298 00:16:24,796 --> 00:16:29,696 Kaan: You have a big challenge because A country is known as a car, society. 299 00:16:30,146 --> 00:16:32,606 people love using their cars. 300 00:16:32,656 --> 00:16:35,386 also that you are an oil producer, that the fuel is cheaper 301 00:16:35,386 --> 00:16:36,876 than many parts of the world. 302 00:16:37,266 --> 00:16:40,626 So how culturally you can convince people to leave their 303 00:16:40,626 --> 00:16:42,306 cars and use public transport. 304 00:16:42,306 --> 00:16:44,246 So it's a big dilemma that you are facing. 305 00:16:44,246 --> 00:16:47,486 Certainly that increasing the supply is one, one very important thing. 306 00:16:47,486 --> 00:16:49,056 But how are your thoughts about this? 307 00:16:49,426 --> 00:16:52,156 Hammam: it's really interesting because like, like I was saying before, we 308 00:16:52,156 --> 00:16:55,976 had, six lines of bus service in the city that lasted for about seven years. 309 00:16:56,816 --> 00:17:00,216 I think we have learned a lot, now technology now in our new 310 00:17:00,306 --> 00:17:03,696 bus fleet, the current one, we have an easy to use application. 311 00:17:03,966 --> 00:17:07,176 We see many more young people using it because the application is clear. 312 00:17:07,176 --> 00:17:09,096 It tells you clear information. 313 00:17:09,096 --> 00:17:09,756 you can pay. 314 00:17:10,346 --> 00:17:14,006 The bus with any means you can use your ATM card, you can use, visa, 315 00:17:14,006 --> 00:17:15,656 you can use the application itself. 316 00:17:16,176 --> 00:17:18,426 and I think, like I was saying before, in the future, we're 317 00:17:18,426 --> 00:17:19,716 hopping for a complete solution. 318 00:17:20,116 --> 00:17:23,666 we wanna give everybody, the option of having a comfortable, 319 00:17:24,216 --> 00:17:29,216 from a to B complete journey for anybody, who, who wants to use it. 320 00:17:29,546 --> 00:17:33,126 I think if we provide, a good service, if we provide comfortable 321 00:17:33,126 --> 00:17:34,896 service, people will use it. 322 00:17:35,526 --> 00:17:38,436 We already can see now with our latest, contract. 323 00:17:38,856 --> 00:17:39,486 There's a shift. 324 00:17:39,486 --> 00:17:41,226 There's so many more Saudis using it. 325 00:17:41,836 --> 00:17:43,906 we can see Saudi families are using it. 326 00:17:44,026 --> 00:17:45,316 We can see a lot of young guys. 327 00:17:45,316 --> 00:17:46,636 A lot of students are using it. 328 00:17:47,176 --> 00:17:47,596 Why? 329 00:17:47,596 --> 00:17:48,856 Because the service is better. 330 00:17:48,856 --> 00:17:49,786 The buses are better. 331 00:17:50,086 --> 00:17:51,226 The technology is better. 332 00:17:51,686 --> 00:17:52,736 it's much more comfortable. 333 00:17:53,136 --> 00:17:56,376 you can understand where exactly you can go and how you can do 334 00:17:56,376 --> 00:17:58,206 that with a simple application. 335 00:17:58,506 --> 00:18:01,746 So I think it's our job to insist of having high quality 336 00:18:01,746 --> 00:18:03,216 service every step of the way. 337 00:18:03,666 --> 00:18:07,816 And I am sure, little by little, the people here will get more used to it. 338 00:18:07,816 --> 00:18:11,296 once they see it's a good service, they will definitely use it. 339 00:18:11,746 --> 00:18:13,276 Keep in mind, historically. 340 00:18:14,091 --> 00:18:17,801 Jeddah Seems to be the most likely place for public transportation 341 00:18:17,801 --> 00:18:21,511 to succeed because like I was saying, Jeddah is a casual place. 342 00:18:21,511 --> 00:18:22,901 Jeddah is a relaxed place. 343 00:18:23,321 --> 00:18:27,161 People here by far would not mind using public transportation. 344 00:18:27,641 --> 00:18:30,461 So inshallah, if we give them excellent service, believe me, 345 00:18:30,791 --> 00:18:31,841 the shift is happening already. 346 00:18:32,641 --> 00:18:35,361 Kaan: there is also one, I have one last question is that there 347 00:18:35,361 --> 00:18:39,171 are a lot of mega projects in your country, and if I'm not wrong, one 348 00:18:39,171 --> 00:18:40,671 of them is not very far from you. 349 00:18:40,671 --> 00:18:42,191 It's the Red Sea, project. 350 00:18:42,521 --> 00:18:44,481 So is it's close by to Jeddah. 351 00:18:44,501 --> 00:18:44,951 Am I wrong? 352 00:18:45,001 --> 00:18:45,721 not very far. 353 00:18:46,016 --> 00:18:47,091 Hammam: No, I think, I dunno. 354 00:18:47,091 --> 00:18:48,231 What project are we talking about? 355 00:18:48,231 --> 00:18:52,311 There are projects inside the city of Jeddah, like Jeddah Central Development. 356 00:18:52,311 --> 00:18:52,871 Al-Balad. 357 00:18:52,871 --> 00:18:56,931 Al-Balad is a very powerful destination, is the historical heart of Jeddah. 358 00:18:57,441 --> 00:19:01,161 It's a very well established destination for tourism, residents. 359 00:19:01,551 --> 00:19:03,991 We expect a kind of, Suburbs of Jeddah. 360 00:19:04,011 --> 00:19:06,841 There are other projects that will be linked to Jeddah. 361 00:19:07,161 --> 00:19:10,261 Definitely in our future network, we expect that we will have, I don't 362 00:19:10,261 --> 00:19:14,671 know, maybe something like, different kind of buses to take you from because 363 00:19:14,671 --> 00:19:18,691 these places sometimes like 50, 60 kilometers away, we expect our network 364 00:19:18,691 --> 00:19:22,126 will grow to cover that through appropriate, buses in the future. 365 00:19:22,666 --> 00:19:27,436 But I think our area of concentration for the near future is what we have within 366 00:19:27,436 --> 00:19:32,456 the city of Jeddah, high concentrated area with population, where we feel it's, it's 367 00:19:32,456 --> 00:19:36,086 where the demand is higher, but in the future, we expect the network will grow. 368 00:19:36,506 --> 00:19:41,046 And, it'll cover also suburbs, of Jeddah with less density, but it should also 369 00:19:41,046 --> 00:19:46,886 be with high quality service to make sure any, visitor or resident can use 370 00:19:46,886 --> 00:19:48,626 the service in the most comfortable way. 371 00:19:49,376 --> 00:19:52,406 Kaan: Thank you Mr. Hammam, for sharing your insights and the 372 00:19:52,406 --> 00:19:54,516 inspiring work happening in Jeddah. 373 00:19:54,536 --> 00:19:57,986 Are there any final message you would like to share with our listeners about 374 00:19:58,016 --> 00:20:00,056 what's next for Jeddah Transport Company? 375 00:20:00,421 --> 00:20:03,436 Hammam: I just wanna say we try to do things differently. 376 00:20:03,701 --> 00:20:05,981 We try to do things with more creativity. 377 00:20:06,281 --> 00:20:07,841 We try to make it more lively. 378 00:20:08,111 --> 00:20:10,021 I encourage everybody, visit Jeddah. 379 00:20:10,341 --> 00:20:12,011 Jeddah is unique, Jeddah is fun. 380 00:20:12,341 --> 00:20:13,181 Whatever you want. 381 00:20:13,181 --> 00:20:14,771 Business shopping work. 382 00:20:14,771 --> 00:20:17,351 Red Sea Haj, Umrah Jeddah is it. 383 00:20:17,501 --> 00:20:18,731 Please visit us. 384 00:20:19,741 --> 00:20:20,101 Kaan: Thank you. 385 00:20:20,101 --> 00:20:23,881 It has been a big pleasure having you on the Mobility Redefined Podcast. 386 00:20:24,311 --> 00:20:26,906 to our listeners, thank you for tuning in. 387 00:20:27,551 --> 00:20:30,431 We will be back soon with more voices from around the world 388 00:20:30,461 --> 00:20:32,201 driving the future of mobility. 389 00:20:33,071 --> 00:20:34,601 Hammam: Thank you so much and I appreciate it. 390 00:20:35,101 --> 00:20:38,811 Kaan: Thank you for listening to Mobility Redefined brought to you by Modaxo. 391 00:20:39,141 --> 00:20:43,211 For more insights, visit our website at Mobility Redefined. 392 00:20:43,491 --> 00:20:45,801 com or follow us on LinkedIn. 393 00:20:46,291 --> 00:20:49,871 Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on your favorite app to stay 394 00:20:49,911 --> 00:20:52,121 updated with our latest episodes. 395 00:20:52,731 --> 00:20:56,091 Thank you for tuning in and we hope you enjoyed the conversation.