Driving Lessons Needed Before Saudi Women Can Get Their License

Women in Saudi are finally allowed to drive but they will first have to attend driving classes before receiving their license.

Saudi Arabia has until recently been the only country in the world that doesn’t allow women to drive. This was however changed in September 2016 when a royal decree was issued lifting the ban on women drivers in the Kingdom.

As of June 2018 women will officially be allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia but they will have to attend driving lessons before being able to receive their license. The director general of Traffic Department, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Bassami told the Saudi Press Agency in a press statement that: “Those who wish to obtain a new driving license and are not good at driving should attend a 90-hour training course, while those who are good at driving should attend a 30-hour training course.”

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Numerous universities have already identified this opportunity and are planning to capitalise from it. The Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh was the first to announce on Twitter that they are planning to open a driving school especially for women. The King Abdul Aziz University and General Department of Traffic announced that they will co-launch a women-only training school in Jeddah while the King Saud University in Riyadh announced that they are dedicating 4,500 parking spots for female students and faculty members.

It isn’t yet clear whether women who have obtained their drivers licence in another country will be able to take the test without requiring the lessons.