Yesterday, Uber Saudi Arabia hosted the largest onboarding of Saudi drivers to date, providing economic opportunity to over 400 drivers.

We are actively working with Saudi nationals to join our platform, as both drivers and entrepreneurs, in line with the National Transformation Plan. Our goal is to empower Saudis to benefit from the economic opportunities that the sharing and digital economies can offer by enabling them to be individually licensed as drivers and to eventually become successful entrepreneurs in the private sector. We believe that regulatory changes will help create economic opportunities for up to 100,000 Saudis over the next 5 years, upgrade the quality of the ground transport industry, and Saudize the transport sector.

Uber Saudi Arabia, has been working closely with government officials to ensure the emergence of the sharing economy as a key pillar of socio-economic growth in the Kingdom. This collaboration is aimed at supporting Saudi Arabia in becoming one of the first countries globally to implement policies that foster the emergence of the sharing economy and enhancing the contribution of technology companies like Uber to the local economy.

Previously, we announced a $250 million investment in the MENA region. Much of this will be used to build our business and technology in Saudi Arabia. We are developing new products suited to the Kingdom such as solutions for:

  • Enhancing transport for the elderly and disabled
  • Providing students, retirees, and the disabled with part-time economic opportunities to supplement their incomes by joining as Uber partner drivers
  • Improving inter-city transportation by reducing traffic and continuing to build reliability

Uber is Providing Safe, Reliable, and Convenient Rides Across the Kingdom

On the rider side, over 80% of riders are female. Riders have told us that Uber has become a part of their daily routine and helps them run their errands, go to school or to the office.  We are proud that our technology is enabling greater access to education and jobs. With the number of women in work expected to rise from 18 per cent to 45 per cent by 2030, we are committed to being their number one choice in how they move around their cities.

It’s about more than just moving people; it’s about becoming woven into the fabric of every city we operate in. Our work with the Saudi government represents a significant milestone in the Kingdom’s journey to grow its digital economy as a means of economic diversification and to encourage further innovative Saudi entrepreneurial startups in the sharing economy.

Tell us what you like the most about Uber by tweeting using the hashtag #ubersaudi and you can win up to 10 free rides.