Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — A national transportation company has trained 30 women drivers and educated them about traffic regulations and safety and security precautions.

The company said it has offered 150 openings for both Saudi men and women in database service, customer service and telecommunications.

The women drivers will begin working once the Ministry of Transport and the Traffic Department put the new traffic regulations in place.

The conditions the women drivers have to meet include obtaining a driver’s license and owning a car or producing an affidavit from husband or a family member allowing them to use their car.

The company also said it had received job applications from women candidates in different age groups. From women in their 20s to those in their 50s have applied to work as drivers for the company.

Egypt and the UAE have successfully experimented women drivers in transportation services. It is widely believed that having women driving on the streets would increase the safety and security of the service, the company said.

Taxi company employee Mohammad Salah said app-based ride hailing services are now offering more than 100,000 job vacancies for women drivers, who are called “captains” in these companies.

Economic analyst Khalid Al-Shalil said Saudi society is open to the idea of women working as taxi drivers and in transportation companies.

«By working in such fields women can make a decent living. Most families will be very supportive of the idea,» Al-Shalil said.