Saudi Arabia allowed women to drive from Sunday, overturning the world’s only ban on female motorists, a historic reform that is expected to usher in a new era of social mobility.
The move, which follows a sweeping crackdown on women activists who long opposed the ban, is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s wide-ranging reform drive to modernise the kingdom.
Women in the capital Riyadh and other cities began zipping around streets bathed in amber floodlights soon after the ban was lifted at midnight, some in cars with thumping stereo music.
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— ساره البـدر (@SaraAlbogamii) June 23, 2018
A day recorded in history, Congratulations to all Saudi women 🇸🇦💗#SaudiWomenDriving pic.twitter.com/706VrohtZu
“It is a historic moment for every Saudi woman,” said Sabika al-Dosari, a Saudi television presenter before driving a sedan across the border to the kingdom of Bahrain.
The lifting of the decades-long ban, a glaring symbol of repression against women, is expected to be transformative for many women, freeing them from their dependence on private chauffeurs or male relatives.
“This is a great achievement,” billionaire Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal said as his daughter Reem drove a family SUV, with his granddaughters applauding from the back seat.
“Now women have their freedom,” he added in a video posted on Twitter.
Some three million women in Saudi Arabia could receive licences and actively begin driving by 2020, according to consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The kingdom earlier this month began issuing its first driving licences to women in decades, with some swapping their foreign permits for Saudi ones after undergoing a practical test.
السائقات في صباح الغد: «سنتجاوز رهبة الطرق والمتهورين»https://t.co/r34YRDVkzC#قياده_المراه_السعوديه pic.twitter.com/3lIjHLBuUp
— صحيفة المدينة (@Almadinanews) June 23, 2018
A handful of female driving schools have cropped up in several cities, training women to drive cars as well as Harley Davidson motorbikes — scenes that were unimaginable even a year ago.
Many Saudi women have ebulliently declared plans on social media to drive for coffee or ice cream, a mundane experience elsewhere in the world but a dazzling novelty in the desert kingdom.
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