Article in Journal of Sustainability Science and Management · April 019 citations 11 reads 1,581 authors: Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects

Study Area 
 
Dammam metropolis connects with the 
neighboring conurbations of Dammam, Khobar, 
Dhahran and the emerging areas of Aziziyah 
and Half Moon districts (Figure 1). Larger 
Dammam comprises Dammam city and the 
bordering municipalities of Qatif, Safwa and 
Ras-Tanuraas. Dammam spans approximately 
380,000 ha, housing roughly more than four 
million residents (Aboukorin & Al-Shihri, 
2015). 
Figure 1: Dammam metropolitan area: Components and external connections (Source: General Administration 
of Urban Planning, 2017). 
Public Transport in Dammam 
 
Despite the importance of public transport, 
most residents in Dammam do not prefer to 
use it. There are several reasons for this. 
First, less-privileged expatriates like south 
Asian laborers commute using intra-city buses 
operated by Saudi Arabian Public Transport 
Company (SAPTCO). The buses are not well 
maintained and well-shaded bus stops are not 
provided. The good buses by SAPTCO are used 
for long-distance intercity travel. Second is the 

---

Journal of Sustainability Science and Management 
Volume 14 Number 2, April 2019 : 157-171 
Umar Lawal Dano and Ali Muflah Alqathany 
161 
availability of cheap energy. The market prices 
of petroleum and its products are relatively 
cheap compared with other nations with similar 
gross domestic product (GDP) (Abubakar & 
Aina, 2016). The price of petrol in Saudi Arabia, 
which ranges between US$ 0.36 and 0.54 per 
litre, is the lowest in the Middle East and North 
African (MENA) region, and far lower than 
the world average cost of US$ 1.41. It is even 
cheaper than the United States (US), where the 
average is US$ 0.74. The price is comparable 
with Nigeria (US$ 0.45) but cannot match 
neighbouring Kuwait, where it is US$ 0.23 
(Lahn & Stevens, 2011). 
Thus, the increase in private cars in Saudi 
Arabia is because of the subsidized rate of 
petroleum, 
which 
is 
economically 
unsustainable. The low price of petroleum 
is the key driver for a high percentage of car 
ownership and suburbanization, which, in 
turn, increases accident rates. According to Al 
Obaidallah (2012), the average car ownership 
per household in Dammam is 6.1 %, which is 
quite high compared with other US cities, such 
as Alexandria in Virginia (1.34%), Amarillo 
in Texas (1.81%), Arden-Arcade in California 
(1.58%), Arvada in Colorado (2.07%), and 
Brandon in Florida (1.69%) (Governing the 
States and Localities, 2016). As shown in Table 
1, approximately five % only of Saudi families 
do not have cars whereas 95% have at least one. 
Compared with non-Saudi families, 29 % do not 
have cars while 71 % have at least one. These 
facts show that Dammam residents depend 
on their own cars for a daily commute, thereby 
making it a priority for mobility. 
Table 1: Car ownership in Dammam (Source: Al-Sharif, 2010). 
The number of cars 
Saudi families (%) 
Non-Saudi families (%) 
No car 
4.97 
28.72 
One car 
48.21 
58.86 
Two cars 
25.28 
7.78 
Three cars and more 
21.54 
4.63 
Total 
100 
100