Friday March 29th, 2024
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Uber and Careem Gear Up to Hire Their First Female Drivers in Saudi Arabia

With the ban on women driving set to be lifted by June, the ride hailing apps are keen on recruiting their first batch of female drivers.

Staff Writer

Ride hailing giants Uber and Careem are both gearing up to hire, train, and mobilize their first female drivers in Saudi Arabia, according to CNN. Leading up to the lifting of the driving ban in the country by June of this year, both companies are setting up and organising the necessary training sessions and workshops to teach their first batch of female drivers about Saudi road laws, customer service, and how to effectively use their platforms for the road ahead.

The initiatives started by both companies have been met with positive feedback, sparking many women from all ranges of background and profession to sign up, with Careem hoping to hire 10,000 female captains by June, "Female captains will help us provide a better service to many women who want to travel but refuse to be driven by men," said Abdullah Elyas, Careem chief privacy officer and co-founder.

Both companies have high hopes of their female recruitment drives filling the gaps in the Saudi government’s unemployment rate, currently estimated to be at 12.8 percent. With the poor state the country’s public transportation system happens to be in, as well as the need to provide women with a reliable mode of transportation that they can feel comfortable enough to use, the move to hire more female drivers is a positive step ahead both for the companies and the country.

Photo from CNN.