Firms to provide female Saudi staff with transport

The Labor Ministry will soon make it obligatory for companies to provide transport for their Saudi female employees, said sources at the Labor Ministry.
Business owners will have to provide transport to employees, either by using their own vehicles or through contracting taxi companies, or pay them transportation allowances.
This decision was taken to combat high attrition rates and to ensure employees start work on time as part of a wider feminization scheme aimed at enhancing female employment rates.
The decision also comes in the wake of a study highlighting the negative effects of lack of transport on productivity and attendance.
According to the study, conducted by the Khadijah Bint Khuwaylid Center at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), around half of Saudi women have their own drivers to get to work, while a quarter get dropped off by their male relatives and 12 percent use taxis.
Only around a tenth use monthly private cars and less than 5 percent avail themselves of company transportation, said the study.
Around 46 percent of women face daily issues with transport, compared with 27 percent among their male counterparts.
The lack of transportation companies and the high costs of using private taxis or hiring a driver has taken its toll on women employees.
A recent report published by the Council of Saudi Chambers also highlighted women’s problems in commuting to work due to the absence of public transport.