WOMEN in many Saudi families are waiting eagerly to drive their own cars after the holy month of Ramadan as the ban on women driving in the Kingdom will be finally lifted come June 24.

It is expected that many families will terminate the services of the private drivers because their women intend to drive themselves. However, many people see no point in getting rid of the drivers because they perform many other tasks at home other than driving.

According to an earlier report, there was a 40 percent decline in driver recruitment by the end of the year. It is also expected that the cost of recruiting drivers will decline by 33 percent.

According to the General Authority of Statistics, the number of foreign drivers in the Kingdom stood at 1.38 million in the first quarter of 2017. They received an average monthly salary of SR1,500.

With the deadline to lift the ban on women driving drawing close, Saudi Gazette interviewed a number of Saudi families about the future of their drivers.

Abrar Wafa, Saudi electrical engineering student, said she will definitely end the reliance on her driver for three reasons. She says she feels guilty when she goes shopping, leaving the driver to wait for her outside the mall for hours. The driver is doing nothing except driving her to her destination and waiting for her. "So I want to feel free,” said Wafa.

...[ Continue to next page ]

Share This Post