Some days do not fit into bookings. You have an elderly parent who can manage one outing but not two, a group that will not agree on a departure time, or an afternoon of errands where you honestly do not know where you will be at four o'clock.
Hourly hire is the answer to those days. You book the vehicle and the driver for a block of time, and they stay with you. Where you go and how many stops you make is up to you, as long as it is inside Makkah, Madinah or Jeddah.
Who books by the hour
Families travelling with elderly parents
The most common reason. Someone who tires easily needs the car available when they are ready to go back, not at a time agreed that morning. Having the vehicle waiting removes the pressure to push on.
Groups that cannot agree a schedule
Fifteen people rarely want the same thing at the same time. A vehicle on standby absorbs that, where a fixed booking turns it into an argument about who is holding everyone up.
Anyone with several errands in a day
Three or four separate short trips usually costs more booked individually than a block of hours. If you are moving around a lot, ask us to compare the two before you book.
Business visitors in Jeddah
Meetings run long and move. A driver on standby means you are not standing outside an office finding a car between appointments.
What a day might look like
An example, not a fixed itinerary — the point is that none of it has to be decided in advance.
9:00
Collected from your hotel
9:30
Out to a Ziyarat site — the driver waits while you spend as long there as you want
11:15
Back into the city for shopping. Bags go in the car rather than being carried
12:40
To the Haram for Dhuhr. The driver waits nearby
2:00
A relative's hotel across town, then a pharmacy on the way back
3:30
Returned to your hotel
Booked as separate journeys, that is five bookings and five negotiations. Booked by the hour it is one.
When it is worth it — and when it is not
Hourly hire is not always the cheaper option, and we would rather tell you that here than take a booking you did not need.
Book by the hour when
- You will make three or more separate trips in a day
- Your timings are uncertain or likely to change
- Someone in the group cannot wait around for a car
- You want the same driver and vehicle all day
- You are carrying shopping or bags between stops
Book a fixed fare instead when
- It is a single journey from A to B
- It is an airport transfer — the fixed fare already covers waiting
- It is a standard Ziyarat trip, which is priced as a half day
- It is the drive between Makkah and Madinah, priced as one route
Not sure which is cheaper? Tell us roughly what your day looks like and we will work out both and tell you which costs less. It takes us two minutes and it is the kind of thing that decides whether you use us again.
How it works
- Book a block of hours Minimum booking is [X] hours. Tell us the date, the start time and how many are travelling, and we confirm a rate before you book.
- The driver collects you and stays From your hotel, at the time you chose. He remains with you for the block rather than dropping you and leaving.
- You direct the day As many stops as you like, in whatever order, anywhere inside the city. Nothing needs to be settled in advance.
- Extend if you need to If the day runs longer, tell the driver and we add hours at the same rate, subject to the vehicle being free. It is not always possible in peak season, so say early if you think you will overrun.
Choosing your vehicle
The rate is for the vehicle, not per person. On an hourly booking the vehicle is effectively your base for the day — bags, shopping and coats all end up in it — so most families take one size larger than they would for a single transfer.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Toyota Camry | 4 | A couple or a small family |
| Hyundai Staria | 7 | A family with room for shopping |
| GMC Yukon XL | 7 | A family wanting more comfort across a long day |
| Toyota Hiace | 11 | Extended family or a small group |
| Toyota Coaster | 19 | A group moving together all day |
| Coach | 44 | A full tour group |
What the rate covers
Included
- The vehicle and driver for the hours booked
- Unlimited stops inside the city
- Waiting time at every stop — that is the whole point
- Luggage and shopping carried in the vehicle
- Fuel and tolls
Not included
- Travel between cities, which is priced as a route
- Journeys outside Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah
- Meals, entry tickets or anything bought during the day
- Hours beyond the booking, which are added at the same rate if the vehicle is free
Booking by the hour
Message us with the date, the start time, how many hours you think you need and how many are travelling. If you are unsure how long you need, describe the day instead and we will suggest a figure — over-booking hours you do not use helps nobody.
In peak season the same vehicle held for a full day is harder to arrange than a single transfer, so book hourly hire earlier than you would a point-to-point journey.
Want the car for the day?
Tell us roughly what your day looks like. We will suggest the hours and confirm a rate before you book.
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September 22, 2026