A simulation study of the shuttle-bus pilgrim transportation system between the holy sites for the 1422h Hajj season

Abstract EN

The shuttle-bus transportation system in the annual Islamic pilgrimage, known as Hajj, relies on using dedicated two-way lanes between the holy sites of Arafat and Muzdalifah, in the first segment, and between Muzdalifah and Mina in the second segment.

Shuttle buses have been used successfully for the past seven years to transport one group of pilgrims consisting of more than 160,000 pilgrims out of a total of more than two million pilgrims.

The Saudi Ministry of Hajj would like to revise the current experience gained from this project and evaluate any constraints or shortcomings associated with it.

In this paper, a description of the shuttle bus transportation system that existed in the 2002 Hajj season is given.

Next, a simulation model is designed for this system and translated into a simulation program using the Arena simulation system.

This simulation model is used to conduct a series of experiments designed with the goal of achieving a better understanding of the characteristics and limitations of the system.