Careem appoints first female driver in Saudi Arabia

UAE-based ride-hailing firm, Careem has appointed its first female driver in Saudi Arabia, Arab News reported.

Enaam Gazi Al-Aswad was selected to become the first “captainah” — the female version of the Careem “captain,” from among around 3,000 women looking for employment with the company.

The appointment comes after the General Department of Traffic said regulations were ready for women to start driving in Kingdom from June 24.

“When the authorities announced in September that women would be allowed to drive, I wanted to be the first and contacted Careem straight away,” Al-Aswad told the daily.

Al-Aswad learned how to drive in her native Syria and has a driving license from that country. She expects to be able to obtain a Saudi license when she has completed 10 hours of driving tuition under the new laws.

Mudassir Sheikha, CEO, Careem, said that he expected new business to eventually make up for any short-term fall-off in revenues when women are able to take to the roads themselves.

About 95 percent of drivers in the Kingdom are Saudi citizens, he said.