RIYADH: Saudi women will be allowed to start driving in the kingdom from June 24, the General Department of Traffic Director General Mohammed al-Bassami said on Tuesday.

“All the requirements for women in the kingdom to start driving have been established,” Bassami was quoted as saying in a statement released by the government.

In September 2017, a royal decree announced the end of a decades-long ban on women driving — the only one of its kind in the world.

Women 18 years of age and older will be allowed to apply for a driver’s license, Bassami said.

Driving schools for women have been set up across five cities in the conservative kingdom, and teachers will include Saudi women who obtained their licenses abroad.

Women with foreign driving licenses will be able to apply for a local one through a separate process, which will also assess their driving skills.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2018