AMMAN — Dozens of drivers carrying
passengers to neighboring countries on Monday staged a sit-in protesting their
deteriorating economic situation as their business received a series of heavy
blows, thanks to
COVID-19 and regional disturbances over the past years.
اضافة اعلان
They lined their white
SUVs in
Al-Abdali area, where the majority of the offices running this service are
located, complaining that was not even possible to obtain visas to enter
countries like Saudi Arabia and Syria.
Hussam Almarabah has been working in
this field for 25 years. He said after the decision to open the border with
Saudi Arabia, “we were not allowed to return to work, while buses were. We
contacted the authorities and didn’t get a response.
Another driver on Saudi Arabia route
for the past 10 yerars, Khaled Aljemzawe, said that “more than half of cars have been
seized by banks for owners’ failure to pay mortgages, and unfortunately, there
is no union to solve our problems, which
affect our abity to put food on the table for our families”.
Raed Tayyem, a driver who has four
children, showed
Jordan News’ reporter his car’s license, expired for two years
due to his financial situation.
“We brought our children to the
sit-in yesterday to demonstrate with us
in front of the Parliament; Upcoming is their fourth Eid without celebrating or
buying new clothes”.
A spokesperson for the protestors, Mohammed
Ibrahim, who has worked in this field for 22 years, said they have been out of
work for 16 months.
He stressed that the total loss of
the sector is estimated at JD100 million, directly affecting 10,000 families,”
noting that 2,600 drivers are in the
business, and the number of cars
operated on the routes is 1,300.
Ministry of Transport’s spokesperson
Ali Al-Odeibat said the issue is under the mandate of the Land Transport
Regulatory Commission, while the commission said it was under the jurisdiction
of transport minister.
Till officials agree whose
jurisdiction it is, the protesters said they were planning to say overnight
until something is done about their plight.
Read more
National
.jpg)
.jpg)
