Saudi Arabian women gifted with new driving licenses

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday started to distribute driving licences to women.

In September 2017, a royal decree had removed the ban on women driving in the kingdom, and in May 2018 it was revealed that Saudi women will be allowed to start driving from June 24.

Driving schools for women have been set up across five cities in the kingdom, and teachers will include Saudi women who obtained their licenses abroad.

Saudi women have previously petitioned the government for the lifting of the ban, and even taken to the wheel in protest.

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Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 32, is seen as the force behind remove of the ban, part of a series of reforms being pushed by the powerful royal in the conservative kingdom.

His Vision 2030 reform plan for a post-oil era seeks to elevate women to nearly one-third of the workforce, up from about 22 percent now

The decision to allow women to drive could give them the much-needed mobility to join the workforce.