Over-four and a half-hour driving restrictions apply to public bus drivers.

Bus drivers are not permitted to operate their vehicles for longer than 4.5 hours at a time.
Bus drivers cannot operate continuously for more than four and a half hours according to the Public Transport Authority (PTA).

This is one of the recommendations made by the PTA to guarantee the security of drivers and passengers as well as reduce the likelihood of traffic accidents. In order to guarantee an improvement in the effectiveness and quality of services offered to beneficiaries, these initiatives also aim to raise the standard of transportation services, ensure road traffic safety, and provide good transportation environments for drivers throughout the Kingdom.

The rules provide that after four and a half hours of driving, the driver must stop the service and take a 45-minute break to relieve the strain on other drivers. The driver must not perform any other work during the prescribed rest period, which can be divided into intermittent segments of no less than 15 minutes for the first time and 30 minutes for the second time in a row.

The government mandated that the maximum amount of time spent driving every day should not be more than nine hours, with a maximum of ten hours per week allowed twice. The authority emphasized that driving hours over the course of two consecutive weeks should not total more than 90 hours per week and should not exceed 56 hours per week.

It said that the driver must take a minimum of 11 hours of uninterrupted rest each day, as long as it is taken within a window of time that does not exceed 24 hours after the conclusion of the preceding rest period.

In an effort to improve road safety and security, as well as to create a pleasant working environment for drivers within the Kingdom, the PTA has established maximum and minimum daily, weekly, and rest hours for drivers of specialized transport, rental, and guided buses, as well as international transport buses.

The authorities mandated that the driver’s weekly rest period not be less than 45 hours nonstop and not exceed six consecutive working days.

In order to reach a secure and suitable halting location, the motorist may travel for up to 30 minutes longer than the permitted driving time or for up to 50 kilometers longer than the permitted driving distance, whichever comes first. The authorities stated that even if a bus has a place to relax inside of it, the daily rest period is not considered and that both the daily and weekly rest periods must be taken outside of the vehicle.

The PTA emphasized the need of drivers abiding by the directives it gave on driving hours and daily and weekly rest periods.