Makkah Bus
🕋 Makkah Bus Project — Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites (RCMC) — Makkah’s city bus network, built for residents and the millions of pilgrims who visit the holy city.
🇸🇦 Makkah, Saudi Arabia | 🏢 Authority: RCMC | 🚌 Operated by Modern Bus Company | 💳 Yamam card (Wikipedia)
Makkah Bus is the city bus project of Makkah, implemented under the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites (RCMC) and its General Transport Center, with day-to-day operations by the Modern Bus Company. It is the first organised public bus network in the holy city’s history, designed for residents and Umrah and Hajj pilgrims alike.
📋 Makkah Bus Quick Facts
- Authority: Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites (RCMC) — General Transport Center
- Operator: Modern Bus Company (MBC)
- City: Makkah, Saudi Arabia
- Network (Saudi Press Agency, January 2026): 12 routes, 400 buses, 431 stations, covering 580 km
- Payment: Yamam — recorded in Wikipedia’s smart-card list as Makkah Bus’s card (2023)
- Operator website: mbco.sa (Makkah Bus has no separate standalone passenger website)
📖 About Makkah Bus
The Makkah Bus Project is implemented under RCMC and managed by its General Transport Center, the body responsible for planning, regulating and operating Makkah’s transport network. The operating company is Modern Bus Company, whose official site presents it as Makkah’s public bus transport operator.
The Saudi Press Agency reported in January 2026 that the network had reached 12 routes, 400 buses and 431 stations over 580 km, with the newest route connecting the Grand Mosque to the Hira Cultural District — the kind of pilgrim-focused link that defines the network’s purpose.
🚌 Network & Services
- City routes — local services across Makkah’s districts
- Express routes — faster links in the project’s second phase
- Pilgrim corridors — routes serving the Grand Mosque and holy sites, including the Hira Cultural District link
💳 Payment & Ticketing
Wikipedia’s public-transport smart-card list records Yamam as the Makkah Bus fare card (2023). Because Makkah Bus publishes no standalone passenger website, confirm the current fare, where to get the card and any free-period arrangements through the operator (mbco.sa) and RCMC announcements before you travel.
🧭 How to Ride
- Find your route in BusUpdate’s Mecca bus guides.
- Confirm the current route list and fares via the operator, Modern Bus Company (mbco.sa), before travelling.
- Board at a marked Makkah Bus station and pay as directed on the day — pilgrim-season arrangements can change.
- During Hajj and Ramadan peaks, allow generous extra time: services around the Grand Mosque are extremely busy.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Who runs Makkah Bus?
The project sits under the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites (RCMC) and its General Transport Center; buses are operated by the Modern Bus Company.
How many routes does Makkah Bus have?
The Saudi Press Agency reported 12 routes, 400 buses and 431 stations covering 580 km in January 2026.
Does Makkah Bus have its own website?
No standalone passenger website was verified — use the operator’s site, mbco.sa, and RCMC announcements for current information.
📞 Official Contact
- Operator website: mbco.sa
Sources: Saudi Press Agency reporting (via Arab News, Jan 2026), Modern Bus Company official site (mbco.sa), Wikipedia smart-card list, Saudi Ministry of Interior Makkah project page — verified October 2026. Independently compiled by the BusUpdate editorial team; confirm time-sensitive details with the operator before travelling. See also: Mecca bus guides on BusUpdate.