SUMMERTIME is when most of the family drivers here are out of town to spend their holidays, and thus, also the time which most women dread as the unavailability of a driver and the fact that women are not allowed to drive in the Kingdom restricts their movement. To cope with problems of commuting, many women are locally hiring drivers or are opting for contracts with car rental companies. “We see an increase in our business activity as people, particularly women, need our services, especially during this season as compared to any other time,” said Ayub Basha, manager of ‘Wasalni Services' on Sitteen Street of Jeddah. “We offer new models of ‘Chevrolet' that are driven by Yemenite, Egyptian, Indonesian and Pakistani chauffeurs. The price of the contract varies between SR700 to SR900 per month for daily single pick and drop facility to school and work, SR35 per hour, and SR30 per hour for engaging the car for 3 hours,” he said. Normally, all car rental companies provide services throughout the day. Contracts are available on a weekly, monthly and a yearly basis. Per ride, per hour, pick and drop trip or one way ride facilities are other options. Reem car rental service on Quresh Street in Jeddah is giving out special offers for female employees of banks, hospitals and beauty salons. “Besides the guarantee of reaching to work on time, we have special discounts for pick and drop services to Abhur and to other picnic spots. We also have services to transport pilgrims between the airport and the holy places,” said Thamer Muhammad, customer services officer at the center. Khlaid Ahmed from ‘Allu Mishwar', a cars and chauffeurs service provider on Hira Street, said they offer the latest models of cars along with drivers as well as ‘walky-talkies' for the security of women. “The supervisor stays in touch with the driver from the time he leaves the office with the car. Evening rides are comparably costlier than morning rides that are between 9 A.M to 12.A.M during the summertime,” he said. The charges, Ahmed said, are SR40 per hour and SR20 to SR25 per ride. He said the chauffeur is not allowed to provide services to anyone on his own “as the cars are exclusively engaged for fares”. Women can schedule their trips in advance and decide their daily outings during the holidays. Charges vary according to the time of the day when the facilities are availed and the distance travelled. Umm Raghad, a bank employee, considered availing the services of a car rental company but later opted to hire a private driver. “It is definitely more secure to commute by a luxurious vehicle of an authorized company. However, it is expensive as I will have to shell out SR,2000 just for the pick and drop services to my office as compared to the SR,1200 that I pay for the same services of a locally hired driver,” she said. “It is very difficult to locally find a good driver, and doing so is not very easy on the pocket as well. Since, most of these drivers are under the sponsorship of someone else and have their own car, they are sometimes not trustworthy and have a sloppy attitude, which is because they realize that we are in need and have no option but to rely on them,” said Raghad, who faced much problem when her driver left for his two-month annual holiday soon after the start of her children's school holidays. The Clause 11 of Saudi legislation, which is in implementation of the 7th Article of the 2005 Labor Law, stipulates that a worker is legible for a one-month paid holiday every two years and that his contract can be renewed for a similar period with his agreement. Sources in a passport department in Jeddah (Jawazaat) told Saudi Gazette that the issuance of the exit-reentry visa increases during the summer holidays. “People particularly want their family driver to take his annual leave at a time when the schools close for the holidays,” a source said. However, the services of family drivers are used not just for taking the children to school and back. “Women also need drivers, but sadly, they are fully dependent on men (relatives or non-relatives) to chauffeur them,” said Raghad. Scores of men in Saudi Arabia expend hours chauffeuring women to places, such as, schools, hospitals, work places, malls and markets. “The responsibility of driving the female members of our family eats up a lot of my time,” said Abdullah Eskander, a student and a part-time employee. “I wish that women of my family are self-dependent as it is disturbing to see them live like this without anybody's support,” said Eskander, who is the only legal bearer of his “widowed mother and six sisters who are divorces and have crossed the age of marriage”. “I can't imagine what would happen to my family if I was not with them,” he said. Many women cannot afford a driver, let alone the driver's other requirements, such as, accommodation, etc. “Personal drivers come for a price of SR1000 to SR1800, exclusive of their mobile phone bills, food, car petrol, accommodation, airfares, visa fees, etc., all of which overshoots my budget,” said Rania Muhammad, a private school teacher who earns SR2000 per month. As more and more Saudi women are joining the workforce, the government of Saudi Arabia is exerting all efforts to create more job opportunities for women in various sectors. “It has now become very inconvenient to cope with the issue of transportation,” said Rania. “We have to go out for holidaying, partying, shopping and to meet our relatives during vacations. However, without a driver, everything becomes difficult,” said Raghad. “King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has announced major reforms, and his move has raised hopes that the ban on female drivers in the Kingdom might soon be lifted,” she concluded.
