Saudi Gazette

AFTER the royal decree lifting the ban on women to drive was issued, the entire world has been talking about this historic decision.

Economists have been gloating over the financial benefits of women driving. They say that the average Saudi family will save SR20,000 a year thanks to a drastic reduction in the amount paid to drivers and women in the workforce will save a significant amount of money on transportation, meaning they will have extra income to spend and inject into the economy.

Amid the collective benefits of this landmark decision, women have been the biggest winner. Saudi Gazette spoke with three Saudi women for their thoughts on the decree and the impact it will have on their lives.

Sumaya, a 30-year-old-doctor, said now that the driving ban has been lifted by a royal decree, Saudi women will no longer have to rely on someone else for transport. She spoke of her own struggles to arrange reliable transportation.

“My driver left the country last year on final exit. Since then, I have used private drivers to take me to work and bring me home. It’s never been a good experience as the drivers are either late or too early and sometimes if I get late, they simply leave after waiting for 5 minutes. Other times, they have other women who they have to drop off along the way,” she said.

Sumaya said the lifestyles of Saudi women are now going to change dramatically. Women will be given more space to move about, get to work and even socialize.

“We can save more of our salaries now that we won’t have to spend as much on transportation. We will save a lot of time not having to wait for drivers to answer the phone or show up. And there was some chatter that women will be harassed but those fears have been put to rest after the government announced strict punishments for sexual harassment,” she added.

Abha, another young woman, agreed with Sumaya and said the changes will improve women’s standing in society.

“There is no doubt that women driving will change the lives of all Saudi women. It will shape our culture; women will definitely become more independent. There is no better feeling than running all of your errands by yourself,” she said.

“I agree that there will be difficulties for us as women. I am worried for example about what to do if my car stops in the middle of the street, how to fix my car or change the battery. It is all new to us, but the knowledge will come with time. I am very happy that this historic decision will allow me to move around, study, apply for jobs and entertain myself freely without a male voice asking me to hurry up or to cancel my outing because he is busy,” she added.

Um Nada, a housewife who has three adult daughters, said she doesn’t want her daughters drive until women driving becomes acceptable in Saudi society.

“We struggle to find a private driver to take me to my appointments in the hospital and I pay him a lot of money. My three daughters are all adults and anyone of them can take me to the hospital. However, I will postpone allowing them to drive for the first few months. The reason I decided this was I want society to get used to seeing women behind the wheel,” she said.

She also stressed the importance of empowering women in other areas as well. “Women are nearly 56 percent of our society. My daughters and I are happy to hear about new job creation schemes for women in the transportation sector. The Kingdom is progressing faster than anyone can imagine,” she concluded.