Dubai-based ride hailing app Careem has reportedly already received thousands of applications from Saudi women interested in becoming drivers once the Gulf kingdom lifts its driving ban in June.
According to CNN, the company is keen to take on 10,000 female captains to help cater to its female passengers which make up about 70 percent of its business in Saudi Arabia.
Female customers also represent 80 percent of Uber’s Saudi rider base, according to statistics shared with CNN by both companies.
The apps are seen as a lifeline to women with no independent way to get around the kingdom.
Currently, all drivers employed by the two firms are male but following the ground-breaking royal decree that announced plans to lift the ban on women driving last September, both companies have been on a female recruitment drive.
CNN said that after the decree was issued, the company launched a series of training sessions targeting Saudi women who have already acquired valid driving licenses while abroad.
“From the first moment, we announced our willingness to welcome the ladies to work on our platform,” Abdullah Elyas, co-founder and chief privacy officer at Careem, was quoted as saying, adding that thousands of applications have already been received from Saudi women.
Uber has also announced plans to open “one-stop-shop” facilities dedicated to recruiting future female drivers.
“We will partner up with necessary stakeholders to facilitate the paperwork, training access, and access to vehicles, including access to driving schools run by third party partners,” CNN quoted Zeid Hreish, Uber’s general manager in Saudi Arabia as saying.
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