Saudi Arabia is indeed transforming to a stage where all classes and genders of the society are contributing equally to country’s development. In the recent development, a 32-year-old Saudi woman, named Hanaa Aldhafery, has started a mission or a movement where women that can drive a vehicle will train other women of the country how to drive. Women will be taught free of cost.
It is to be noted here that cost of driving lessons is 60 riyal per hour in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Hanaa Aldhafery in her tweet said: Are there any volunteers who are ready to train others to drive for free? If the answer is yes write the name of your city in the comments using this hashtag – “#مستعده_ادرب.” This hashtag is the Arabic name of the movement which translates as “I am ready to train you.”
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Last year, the Saudi government had uplifted the ban on women driving and announced that women would be allowed to drive cars on roads from June 2018. It was a great step and women, and other human rights commissions lauded this step by the government. The women have long demanded from the authorities to let them drive on roads, and now it is becoming a reality. However, one important thing to mention here is that 90 hours of certified experience is required for women to drive their vehicles on roads.
Moving onward, ride-hailing service, Careem is in the process of hiring and training women in Saudi Arabia. According to the sources, Careem plans to get 10,000 female drivers onboard by June 2018. Moreover, keeping safety measures in mind, Careem has also announced that the female driver option will only be available to female riders or families. As per stats, about 80% of Uber’s and 70% of Careem’s customers are female.
Aside from Saudi empowering women, the Government of Punjab under Women and Wheels initiative is teaching women how to drive bikes.
Stay tuned for latest updates.
