Turkey’s Yüksel wins $614 mln Saudi rapid bus contract

RIYADH

DHA Photo

Turkish construction company Yüksel has won a rapid bus transit system contract worth $614 million, as reported by Arab News. 

The Riyadh Rapid Bus Transit System is a part of the King Abdulaziz Transport System plan and will accelerate the shift from private cars to public transportation systems, according to Arab News. 

The Turkish company has reportedly received a letter of intent and Riyadh’s local Alinma Bank has provided $232 million in project financing to implement it.

“The project mainly includes road rehabilitation schemes, construction of 21 pairs of rapid bus transit system stations, 2,574 community bus stops and seven pedestrian bridges in Riyadh,” Yüksel CEO Ahmet Halavuk told Arab News.

He added the new line would allow rush-hour buses to travel in bus-only lanes, specifically highway shoulder lanes, with the aim of reducing traffic length and easing commute time.

A similar system exists in Istanbul as well, dubbed the “metrobus system.” The city’s notoriously crowded metrobus network carries an average of 800,000 Istanbul residents and visitors daily, as thousands of people use the buses to escape from traffic jams, especially during rush hours.