UTV | COLOMBO – Ten women swap foreign licences for Saudi ones, weeks before kingdom removes a controversial ban on female motorists.
Saudi Arabia started issuing its first driving licences to women weeks before the kingdom lifts a ban on female drivers.
The general traffic directorate on Monday began replacing internationally recognised driving licences held by women with Saudi ones across the country, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Ten Saudi women were issued national licences after they swapped their foreign ones at the General Department of Traffic in multiple cities, the government said.
“The exchange process is taking place on various spots around the kingdom to lay the ground for women sitting behind the wheels on the roads – a turning point set to be actualised on June 24,” SPA said.
About 2,000 licences are expected to be issued for women next week, according to a statement by the ministry of information.
Video of the first woman to be issued a license in the capital, Riyadh, circulated on social media.