Article 2 of the Saudi Public Transport Users Regulation

This article sets out the basic principle of the Regulation: the service is provided to anyone who requests it without discrimination.

"The service" under Article 1 is any public transport service, and public transport is regular passenger transport available to the public for a fee inside the cities of the Kingdom, between them and to other countries, excluding air transport.

In practice the principle means:

• The service is available to anyone who requests it, so the carrier does not choose its passengers at its whim.
• Discrimination is not permitted between those requesting the service in providing it.

The text does not list the forms of prohibited discrimination; it is worded in a general, absolute way.

But this principle does not cancel the other conditions and restrictions in the Regulation. Article 3, for example, sets a minimum age for a passenger who obtains the service alone: not less than thirteen years between cities, and eight years within them. An age requirement is therefore not discrimination, but a stated rule.

Note that the passenger himself also has obligations, and the principle does not conflict with them, such as paying the fare, which Article 1 defines as an amount paid to obtain the service.

Anyone who has an actual problem with a carrier would do well to consult a lawyer who specializes in civil cases and compensation.