The Council of Ministers approved the merger of the Railway Authority and the Public Transport Authority into a single authority called the “Public Transport Authority,” During its meeting this afternoon at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh, chaired by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Council approved a number of amendments to the Public Transport Authority’s regulations. The decision stated:

After reviewing the report submitted by His Excellency the Minister of Transportation, the Council of Ministers approved a number of measures, including:

1- Merging the Railway Authority and the Public Transport Authority into a single authority called the “Public Transport Authority.”

2. Repeal of the regulations of the Railway Authority, issued by Cabinet Decision No. (1) dated 12/1/1429 AH.

3. Amending the regulations of the Public Transport Authority, issued by Cabinet Decision No. (323) dated 14/9/1434 AH, in accordance with a number of provisions, including:

— Amending the definition of “public transportation” contained in Article (1) to read as follows: “Public transportation: the transportation of passengers and goods for a fee by means of transportation within and between the cities of the Kingdom and to other countries, excluding air transportation.”

— Amending paragraph (1) of Article (5) as follows: “The Authority shall have a Board of Directors chaired by the Minister, with membership comprising the President of the Authority and representatives from the Ministries of (Interior, Finance, Transportation, Municipal and Rural Affairs, Economy and Planning, and Commerce and Industry) , and three representatives from the private sector with expertise in the transportation sector, who shall be appointed by a decision of the Council of Ministers based on nominations by the Minister.