The international sign for stop

I tried again today to get a sim card. I arrived at the shopping Mall 2 minutes before a call to prayer and the guy I had started dealing with looked into his drawer to see if he had any micro sims left. I turned away for what must have been 30 seconds and he was gone....off to the mosque without a further word.
I waited around for 20 minutes until he returned and told me he did not have any micro sim cards (for the iphone) and that I should go to the next mall up the road (3k away). I jumped in a cab and went to said mall.

I entered the huge modern mall and the phone shop was right by the door. The guy started to explain every tarrif to me and when I agreed on one (15 mins later) he informed me that they had no sim cards and I should go back to the mall I had just come from as he was sure that they had some there. (I smiled and retreated in the direction he had pointed and then once outside, secretly doubled back (hoping he did not see me) to return to the hotel...enough).

So, I decided that if I were going to make it to pay day without an advance I would have to stop taking taxis everywhere and brave the local bus service that somebody had told me was only half a rhyal. 2 mins later a bus came and I got on. It was actually 2 rhyal (about 30p).....it was clean and didnt smell too bad considering it was 45 degrees outside....it was well air-conditioned and comfortable. I have been told by other ex-pats that Arabs are terrible drivers. (they have obviously never been to Turkey, where a professional driver will happily drink an ayran (a disgustingly salty yoghurt drink not dissimilar in taste and texture to semen (one would guess) with one hand and speak on the telephone he is holding with the other whilst  driving a bus full of people at 70mph with his knees). This driver never went over 40 mph and it was a rather pleasant journey. Until.....

...I got almost to where I was going.... I suddenly realised that there were no official bus stops..people were just waving from the side of the street and the bus was stopping. I looked worriedly around me and up at the ceiling. I could see no way of informing the driver that I wished to get off the bus. As I got nearer and nearer to my destination the panic set in. I started looking around at other people and willing them to get off at my stop, therefore demonstrating correct form and function.

Eventually I stood up and looked around in despair...a Chinese looking guy seemed to sense my fear and gesticulated toward the front of the bus. I did not have a clue what he meant so I just went.

As I got near to the driver I began to worry about what I would say to him..should I use English? or just motion with my arms the international sign for 'stop' (what is that by the way?).

Then suddenly to my relief he began to slow down.(maybe I could jump)..then he cut-in toward the pavement. There were two guys signaling from the road-side for the bus to pick them up....with a huge sigh of relief I jumped off and crossed the road back to the hotel.....still none the wiser about how to stop a bus in Saudi.