A SR7.8 billion (£1.33 billion) contract to upgrade and maintain buses in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh has been agreed.

The contract was signed by Prince Turki bin Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, the governor of Riyadh, as well as operators Saudi Arabian Public Transport Company and the French company Regie Autonome des Transports Parisiens.

It will run for ten years (as well as two years of preparatory work), and involve the supplying of 1,000 new buses, as well as maintaining and running Riyadh’s bus network.

The Riyadh Metro network is also expected to be completed in the next five years. Prince Turki said he believed the combination of the two major infrastructure projects would put the city’s transport in the same league as that of other major world capitals.

He added: “There are many indirect benefits for this project. It will save a lot of time for Saudis and expats and will have a huge economic impact.”