Saudi Gazette report

THE Saudi Public Transport Authority has confirmed that Saudi women who have a regular driver’s license, own a car and fulfill all requirements can register in one of the licensed ride-hailing or transportation companies, and start working without having to specify the gender of the client.

The authority pointed out that there is no distinction between men and women behind the driver’s wheel, according to a statement published by the authority on its official account on Twitter, Al Arabiya English reported.

The statement also denied reports circulated on social media about banning women from working in the transportation sector through smart applications, or banning these female drivers from transporting male passengers during their shifts in those companies.

Meanwhile, the first female captains for ride hailing apps Careem and Uber have officially started picking up customers.

Amal Farahat, Careem's first Saudi female captain, has a degree in health quality assurance and owns her own quality assurance consultancy company. Yet, she still finds the time to work as a Careem driver to prove to the world that a Saudi woman is able to work in any field and excel in it.

“Being a woman, many of the women passengers will feel safer with me because I know what are the things that bother them about male drivers. I was warned by Careem’s trainer about the harassment drivers could face. I found great support at the company itself. There is a protocol to follow if the passenger does anything inappropriate,” said Farahat.