Motorists and gas station attendants are pleased with the lifting of the ban on the handing out of free boxes of tissues and bottles of water.

Gasoline stations in Jeddah resumed handing out water and tissue papers to customers with the start of the summer vacation and Jeddah festival.

Over 1,000 gas stations all over the city received instructions on safety and security to prevent fire accidents prior to being permitted to resume giving out the complimentary bottles of water and tissue boxes.

The Civil Defense said that the ban was implemented due to security reasons and not to eliminate the distribution of the freebies altogether.

Ahmed Ali, a gas station attendant, told Arab News that the customers are coming back to the gasoline stations and sales at these stations have increased since the resumption of the free distribution of the items.

“Our owner is very pleased with the lifting of the ban against giving out the complimentary water and tissues especially with the start of the summer vacation and the Jeddah festival which is drawing a large number of visitors from within Jeddah and abroad,” Ali said, adding that with the increase in the number of vehicles, there is a corresponding increase in the demand for fuel.

Hafizur Rahman, a motorist echoed the sentiments of fellow motorists when he said that the Civil Defense had made the right move to revoke the ban and restart the free promotions at gasoline stations.

“I was really missing the free tissue boxes which I kept for personal use in the car and even at home. Moreover, with the corona virus scare, those tissues were coming in very handy,” he said.

Husain Shakeel, another motorist, agreed saying that it was a positive step to resume the free service especially with the increasing heat when water becomes an essential commodity.

“I have started going back to the gas stations which supplied this facility and I am glad that the Jeddah summer festival brought back the free water and tissues,” he said.

The Civil Defense governor’s office in Jeddah banned gas stations from handing out free boxes of tissues and bottles of water citing safety and security reasons.

The ban was imposed in the second half of 2013 but was eventually lifted after six months following complaints from gasoline station owners and tissue manufacturers of the heavy financial losses they were incurring due to the ban.