Saudi Arabia’s Transport General Authority has fined three expatriates a combined SAR 35,000 and ordered them deported for unlicensed passenger transport in private cars. The decisions, published on 18 August 2026, name Egyptian, Indian and Chadian nationals and were issued under the Road Transport Law.
What the Transport Authority decided
The Transport General Authority, usually shortened to TGA, published three separate penalty decisions. It does not publish the violators’ names. It does publish the decision numbers, the nationality, the offence and the penalty, which is what makes these cases a matter of public record rather than an anonymous statistic.
| Decision | Nationality | Offence | Fine | Additional penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/Y/2026 | Egyptian | Carrying passengers in a private car without a licence | SAR 12,000 | Deportation |
| 4/Y/2026 | Indian | Carrying passengers in a private car without a licence | SAR 12,000 | Deportation |
| 5/Y/2026 | Chadian | Preparatory acts toward carrying passengers without a licence | SAR 11,000 | Deportation |
| Total | SAR 35,000 |
The third case is the one to read twice. That penalty was issued for preparatory acts, not for a completed journey. Under the law, positioning yourself where passengers gather and inviting them into your car is already the offence. No fare has to be agreed and no trip has to happen.
What counts as unlicensed passenger transport
The Road Transport Law prohibits any person from carrying out a road transport activity without holding the licence for it. The prohibition is written to cover the run-up to a trip as well as the trip itself. The acts it names include:
- Inviting passengers or calling out to them
- Following or intercepting people who appear to need a ride
- Gathering or circling in places where passengers wait, in order to solicit them
- Carrying passengers in a private vehicle for payment
On the street this is known as kadada. Many expats in Saudi Arabia treat it as harmless informal work: an airport run for a friend of a friend, a fixed school pickup, a few hundred riyals a week on top of the salary. The law does not scale the offence to the earnings. One trip and a full-time operation sit under the same article.
If you are looking for extra income, the safer route is to understand what legal part-time work in Saudi Arabia actually permits under your current work permit, and what the self-employment rules for expats in Saudi Arabia require before you charge anyone for anything.
The penalties the law allows
Article 22 of the Road Transport Law gives inspectors a menu of penalties, and more than one can be applied to the same case. The table below is the ceiling the law sets, not what every driver receives.
| Penalty tool | Limit set by the law |
|---|---|
| Financial fine | Up to SAR 5 million at the top of the scale, which is aimed at licensed operators rather than individual drivers |
| Vehicle impoundment | Up to 60 days |
| Suspension of a driver or a vehicle from transport activity | Up to one year |
| Suspension of a licence, full or partial | Up to one year |
| Revocation of the licence | Permanent |
| Sale of the vehicle at public auction | If an impounded vehicle is left unclaimed for 90 days |
| Deportation of a non-Saudi violator | Must be included in the penalty decision |
The TGA has publicly put the practical ceiling for soliciting and unlicensed transport cases at SAR 20,000 with impoundment for up to 60 days. The three August decisions came in below that, between SAR 11,000 and SAR 12,000 each.
Two details catch people out. The car can be held even if it belongs to someone else, and an unclaimed one goes to auction after 90 days. If you have lent your car to a colleague doing airport runs in it, the exposure is yours too. This is also not a fine you settle through the normal Absher channel, so do not expect it to behave like the Saudi Arabia traffic violations and fine payment process you already know.
Deportation is the part people underestimate
Article 25 of the law requires that a penalty decision against a non-Saudi violator include removal from the Kingdom. It is not discretionary language and it is not reserved for repeat offenders. All three of the August cases carried it.
That means the end of the residency, not a pause in it. There is no exit and re-entry to arrange, no sponsorship transfer to negotiate and no notice period to work. Anyone who has waited on an exit and re-entry visa status check knows how much planning a normal departure takes. A deportation order takes all of it out of your hands, along with any end-of-service money still owed if you leave before it is settled.
There is a second cost people rarely price in. A private-use motor policy is not written to cover fare-paying passengers, so a claim arising from a paid trip can be declined outright. Read what your car insurance policy actually excludes before you assume you are covered.
What this means for expats
This was a small announcement about three people, and that is exactly why it matters. The TGA is not only running large sweeps, it is now publishing individual decisions with the penalty attached to each one. Enforcement at that level is a deliberate signal.
If you currently take money for lifts, stop. If a colleague is doing it in your car, get your car back. If you were planning to start, price in the realistic downside: a fine of around SAR 12,000, your car held for weeks, and a flight home you did not book.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to the car if it is impounded?
The law allows impoundment for up to 60 days. If an impounded vehicle is left unclaimed for 90 days it can be sold at public auction, with fines, fees and storage costs deducted from the proceeds. Ownership of the car does not stop the impoundment.
Does my car insurance cover me if I carry paying passengers?
Almost certainly not. A private-use motor policy is written for personal driving, and commercial passenger carriage is a common exclusion. If a claim arises from a paid trip, the insurer may reject it, leaving you personally liable for the damage and any injury costs.
Is transporting passengers without a licence illegal in Saudi Arabia?
Yes. The Road Transport Law prohibits carrying out any road transport activity without the licence for it. That includes carrying passengers for payment in a private car. The prohibition applies regardless of how often you do it or how little you charge for the trip.
What is the fine for unlicensed passenger transport in Saudi Arabia?
In the three decisions published on 18 August 2026, the fines were SAR 12,000, SAR 12,000 and SAR 11,000, totalling SAR 35,000. The Transport General Authority has said penalties in this category reach SAR 20,000, alongside vehicle impoundment of up to 60 days.
Can I be penalised just for calling out to passengers?
Yes. One of the three August decisions, carrying a SAR 11,000 fine and deportation, was issued for preparatory acts rather than a completed trip. Inviting, following, intercepting or waiting where passengers gather in order to solicit them is treated as the offence in itself.
