SAPTCO stands for Saudi Public Transport Company. It was established in 1399H (1979CE) and provides transportation services within the country. Importantly, SAPTCO provides a bus service between the cities of Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah, the three main cities visited by pilgrims.
IMPORTANT UPDATE
SAPTCO has ceased running a direct bus service between Makkah and Madinah as of 2022. It continues to operate an intercity bus service in Saudi Arabia through it's subsidiary brand, Saptco Alsa for Transportation (or SAT, for short), but this service does not include Madinah as a destination. This service can be used to arrive at Makkah from cities within the Kingdom such as Najran, near to the border of Yemen. Whilst the reasons for this decision were not communicated, it is assumed this has been done due to the introduction & popularity of the Haramain High Speed Railway Service that connects the cities of Makkah, Madinah & Jeddah and can transport individuals between Makkah & Madinah within 2 hours (compared to the 5+ hours a bus will take).
Alternative bus services to SAPTCO to travel between Makkah & Madinah
Note: links to the services below can be found further down.
There are two services that offer bus journeys between Makkah and Madinah - Darb Alwatan and Northwest Bus Company. At this time, we have only researched Darb Alwatan.
Darb Alwatan
Darb Alwatan offers a direct bus service between Makkah and Madinah (and vice versa), with both a standard and a VIP service. The service runs from the Makkah Bus Station (Jarwal) north-west of Masjid al-Haram to the Madinah Bus Station north-east of Masjid an-Nabawi. Google Map links are provided further below.
Makkah to Madinah
There are 10 daily services that operate from Makkah to Madinah at the following times:
- Standard: 1am, 7am, 9am, 10am, 2pm, 4pm, 11pm
- VIP: 8am, 12pm, 9pm
Note that there are no additional services on a Friday.
The length of the standard journey from Makkah to Madinah varies depending on the route & stops (line NN-04, which runs once a day at 9am takes 5h 49m, other departures take 6h 15m). The VIP journey is non-stop to Madinah aside from mandatory break stops and takes 5h 10m. In addition to the shorter journey times, the VIP bus has just 24-seats to allow for extra wide seats as well as additional power sockets.
Madinah to Makkah
There are 10 daily services that operate from Madinah to Makkah at the following times:
- Standard: 4.10am, 7am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 7.30pm, 11.30pm
- VIP: 9am, 4.30pm, 9.30pm
Note that there are no additional services on a Friday.
The length of the standard journey from Madinah to Makkah varies depending on the route & stops (line NN-04, which runs once a day at 4.10am takes 6h 30m, other departures take 6h 55m). The VIP journey to Makkah takes 5h 45m. The longer journey (than the opposite route) is to allow for the bus to stop at the miqat at Dhu'l-Hulayfah so that pilgrims may enter into ihram.
Cost
As of March 2025, the standard service costs 85 SAR for an adult (95 SAR if travelling on line NN-04). The VIP service costs 100 SAR. There is a 50% discount for children travelling with an adult, as well as other concessions available for students, the elderly, etc. Pricing, routes and timetables can be found on their excellent booking website (link below).
Why take a bus rather than the train?
- Cost - bus fares can be much cheaper than the train (150 SAR vs 85 SAR standard, 450 SAR vs 100 SAR VIP).
- Luggage - many people have complained about the regularly enforced luggage restrictions on the train service. Alternatively, the Darb Alwatan bus service allows passengers to take up to 75kg of luggage in the hold (in 2 pieces measuring no more than 50cm width x 90cm length x 40cm height each) in addition to 1 piece of hand luggage, which represents an excellent alternative for those travelling heavy.
Links
- Location of the Makkah Bus Station (Jarwal) for Darb Alwatan services
- Location of the Madinah Bus Station for Darb Alwatan services
- Darb Alwatan's Booking Website
- Darb Alwatan's Website
- Darb Alwatan Luggage Allowances
Alternative modes of travel
Taxis are readily available in all three cities. A private taxi (i.e. one that is not shared with any other random passengers) should cost you no more than 500 SAR one-way (Makkah to Madinah and vice versa) though prices may be greater if your group size is large and/or you have a lot of luggage. With improved road infrastructure between the two holy cities now in place, a typical journey in a private taxi or hired car will take around 4 hours.
Of course, there is now the Haramain High Speed Railway that operates between Makkah and Madinah. Information about this service can be found on their website.
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