Approximately four years after the historic decision to allow women to drive cars, the Saudi government has now announced that women will be allowed to ply taxis and become cab drivers. The announcement was made by the Saudi General Directorate of Traffic via its Twitter account.
The statement said that women could apply for a "general taxi license" at any of 18 driving schools in cities across the Kingdom, including Riyadh, Jeddah, Jazan, Asir, Najran, Jouf, Hail and Taif.
The cost for applying for a license is SR200 ($53), the department said.
On September 27, 2017, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia announced that he would allow women to drive in the country. The permit came into effect on June 24, 2019.
The country in recent years adopted several reforms to empower women, including ensuring that women can drive cars, enter playgroups and stadiums, and pursue occupations that were previously accessible only to men.
In February 2021, Saudi Arabia opened up military posts for women for the first time which allowed them to report through a unified portal.
(with sources inputs)
