RIYADH – Saudi Arabia's Public Transport Authority has called on citizens to take advantage of a self-employment support program in the guided transport sector. The authority said the program aims to support Saudi full-time workers as well as new job seekers in the field of passenger transportation through the guided-vehicle applications. The Human Resources Development Fund (HADAF) is providing the support as one of its targeted initiatives aimed to raise the rate of Saudization. The authority noted that it has approved 17 applications so as to qualify Saudi jobseekers in this sector. It enables young Saudi men and women to come forward to take up jobs in this promising sector with by taking advantage of the monthly support of up to SR2400 upon completion of 42 trips per month. The Saudi applicants can register with any of the applications approved by the Public Transport Authority if they met with certain terms and conditions. The conditions include the applicant shall be a Saudi citizen who is not a government employee. Those who have a commercial registration are also not qualified to apply for this job. The applicants need to register their names through the National Labor Gatetway (TAQAT), the self-employment portal under HADAF, by filling up a self-employment document. HADAF introduced the Employment Support Program as part of the government support initiatives to empower establishments and ensure their stability and business development measures to ease the unprecedented economic situations and the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The program also supported the wages of Saudis who were employed in various private sector establishments, by meeting 30 percent to 50 percent of the employees' monthly wages for two years. During the pandemic, the Fund started providing monthly support to the male and female beneficiaries of the program SR2400 per month for a period of up to 24 Gregorian months from the date of the program's launch. It also provides incentives amounting to SR3,000 every six months to the beneficiary who continues to achieve the required performance requirements. Minister of Transport Eng. Saleh Al-Jasser said while attending a Saudi Television program in April this year that the Kingdom's transportation sector has achieved full Saudization in many professions, including the guided vehicle activity, in which there are more than 847,000 drivers, including 6,161 female drivers. He noted that the total revenue from this activity reached more than SR6 billion over the last three years.
