Shalawat Buses in Mecca Remain Operational 24 Hours Despite Fewer Pilgrims

The five-time prayer (Shalawat) bus service is confirmed to remain fully operational 24 hours a day in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. This free transport facility from hotels to the Grand Mosque and back will operate until 21 June 2026, even though the number of Indonesian Hajj pilgrims has now drastically decreased.

“We want to convey that the transport service in Mecca, especially the Shalawat bus for the five daily prayers to the Grand Mosque, remains operational,” said the Head of the Transport Services Division for the Hajj Organising Committee (PPIH) in Saudi Arabia, Syarif Rahman, to the Media Center Haji (MCH) team on Monday (15/6).

As of Monday (15/6), all Indonesian Hajj pilgrims in the first wave have been repatriated to the homeland via King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. Meanwhile, the second wave of pilgrims has been gradually dispatched to Medina since 7 June to perform the Arbain prayer.

“Until the final day, we will provide 52 units for the last flight group returning (to Medina) on 21 June 2026,” Syarif stated. He added that all pick-up and drop-off halts from hotels to the Grand Mosque are currently functioning normally. Nevertheless, the PPIH will dynamically adjust operational points. “However, there may be a shift in location to hotels where many pilgrims still remain,” he said.

So far, only two routes have been completely halted because all pilgrims in those areas have departed for Medina or returned to Indonesia. The two routes are Route 14 (Al-Hidayah Tower Hotel to Jabal Ka’bah Terminal) and Route 22 (Syishah area to Syib Amir Terminal). Despite the route reductions, Syarif assured that supervision and service standards on the ground have not slackened. “But the officers are transferred to other halts,” Syarif said.

The operational phase of the 1447 H/2026 M Hajj pilgrimage has entered its 56th day, with the repatriation process for pilgrims continuing in stages. Hajj Ministry Spokesperson Ichsan Marsha reported that more than 85,000 Indonesian pilgrims and officers have returned home. Flight group 9 was a combined group from three regions, including Padang Panjang City. The Head of PPIH Debarkasi Surabaya, As’adul Anam, stated in Surabaya on Thursday (11/6) that special policies were granted to pilgrims with specific conditions, particularly regarding health issues. The return of Hajj pilgrims from flight group 30 of Debarkasi Surabaya was reported to have experienced a delay in arriving in Surabaya after making an emergency landing at Oman Airport. The Shalawat bus service facilitating Indonesian pilgrims from hotels to the Grand Mosque was temporarily halted starting Friday (22/5) at 18:00 Saudi Arabian time ahead of the peak of Hajj 2026. A total of 140 Shalawat buses are now stationed at the Ajyad Terminal to ensure smooth mobility for Hajj pilgrims during their worship in Mecca. The PPIH Saudi Arabia has deployed 52 buses specifically to support the mobility of Indonesian pilgrims with disabilities.