Highway gas stations revamp intensifies

There has been a flurry of activity on the country’s highways as service companies race to meet the Jan. 19 deadline for the revamp of dilapidated gas stations. 
The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has previously handed out contracts of three and five years to five companies to manage these stations offering rest and eating areas, and gas for the country’s long-distance travelers.

The five contracted companies are the Saudi Automotive Services Company (SASCO), Petromin Company, Emirates National Oil Company Ltd. (ENOC) L.L.C., Tas’helat Marketing Company (Sahel) and Oil Services Company Ltd.
They are required to operate 70 high-quality establishments. The ministry urged owners of stations in categories A and B, which are now in the process of contracting the qualified establishments, to fulfill all requirements by the deadline specified.
At a meeting on April 1, 2013, the Council of Ministers decided to upgrade the country’s highway service stations based on the recommendations of a ministerial committee.

The move followed a submission by the president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH) to improve service centers on regional roads, based on the country’s tourism development strategy.
The SCTNH has been working with various bodies including the Interior and Transport Ministries, and regional governments, to ensure the upgrades take place.