Tens of thousands of Saudi Arabian women will have convenient and affordable access to driving schools across the country after Abdul Latif Jameel Motors signed an agreement supply more than 500 Toyota vehicles.

The partnership will see Abdul Latif Jameel Motors deliver cars to driving schools at Princess Noura Bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University in Dammam and Tabuk University.

In common with all learning vehicles, the fleet of Toyota cars will be specially adapted to feature dual controls, so the vehicles can be controlled by both the instructor and the learner.  Abdul Latif Jameel Motors will also provide maintenance, spare parts and technical support for each of the vehicles.

Women have been able to drive on Saudi Arabian roads since June 24, 2018.  More than 20,000 females applied to driving schools in the days after the change was announced in 2017.

The new law is seen as another major step in the Saudi Vision 2030 modernization program driven by His Excellency Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which is set to deliver dramatic changes in the economic and social outlook of the country’s 16 million women.  It also follows other landmark steps, including opening Saudi Arabia’s football stadiums to women, allowing women to vote and run in municipal elections from 2015, and the re-opening of cinemas for the first time in 35 years.

Together from the Start

Abdul Latif Jameel Motors’ partnership with the four universities, which has been branded ‘Together from the Start’, was announced in May 2018 at Princess Noura Bint Abdulrahman University.

Senior figures attending the event included His Excellency Major General Mohammed Al Bassami, General Directorate of Traffic; Hassan Jameel, Deputy President and Vice Chairman of Abdul Latif Jameel; and Nobuhiko Murakami, Chief Executive Officer, East Asia, Oceania and Middle East Region for Toyota Motor Corporation.

Hassan Jameel said: “Allowing women to drive is a significant milestone for Saudi Arabia, and our society as a whole, and we are delighted to be playing a part in the process.  Women driving will ultimately give them more mobility in every sense – logistically, socially and economically – while at the same time have a positive impact on the country’s development in the long term, which is a key pillar of Saudi Vision 2030.”

Supporting women across Saudi Arabia

Abdul Latif Jameel’s support for the empowerment of women within Saudi Arabia stretches beyond its driving school partnership.

Since our earliest days, it has long-valued the talents, skills and dedication of Saudi Arabia’s females.  By 2016, its job creation and training initiative Bab Rizq Jameel, which is part of Community Jameel, had created more than 100,000 jobs for women in Saudi Arabia through partnerships with almost 1,400 private-sector companies.

Those efforts will also be enhanced under the terms of the ‘Together from the Start’ initiative, with Bab Rizq Jameel running courses on female empowerment, small business development in the arts and culture sector, and road safety at each of the four universities.

These steps are all designed to help the government achieve its Vision 2030 ambition of increasing women’s participation in the workforce from 22% to 30%.  Abdul Latif Jameel is proud to work towards a better future for all Saudi Arabian citizens, and will continue to enhance the communities in which we serve.