New transportation scheme ‘to benefit 1,800 Saudi women in Riyadh’

The Ministry of Labor will soon start implementing the ‘safe transportation’ scheme for Saudi women working in the private sector.

In the first phase of the project, the ministry endorsed the list of 1,800 Saudi women who will benefit from the scheme in Riyadh city. Under the plan, the beneficiaries will have safe transportation to and fro between their homes and work places. The plan will come into force in all regions of the Kingdom in the varied phases.

The ministry is implementing the scheme in cooperation with the Human Resources Development Fund (HADAF) and Takamul Holding Company.

A source at the ministry told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that the scheme ensures safe transportation for Saudi women staff working in the private sector. This is part of the initiatives to encourage a large number of Saudi educated women to take up jobs in private firms, especially in retail commercial firms and industrial sector. According to the plan, the employer shall meet the cost of transportation of the female staff.

The initiative was launched in the wake of a study, carried out last year, and that highlighted the negative effects of lack of transport on productivity and attendance of female staff in the private sector.

Around 46 percent of women face daily issues with transport, compared to 27 percent of their male counterparts. The lack of transportation companies and the high costs of using private taxis or hiring a driver have taken its toll on women employees. A report published by the Council of Saudi Chambers also highlighted women’s problems in commuting to work due to the absence of public transport.

This article first appeared in the Saudi Gazette on Oct. 6, 2015.