Uber says its recently announced partnership with Takamol Holding should provide women in Saudi Arabia with the opportunity “to achieve their professional ambitions.”
Takamol Holding operates Wusool, a programme developed by the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) in the Kingdom, and Uber says the organisations will now work to enable working women in Saudi Arabia with subsidised and affordable transport.
In a statement, Uber said the initiative will help women to overcome transportation challenges to and from the workplace and encourage their contribution “towards the country’s socio-economic progress, in line with the goals and objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.”
“Uber is a conscientious company that strives to uplift the communities it operates in. We are expanding exponentially within the Middle East and North Africa region, with Saudi Arabia being one of our fastest-growing markets.,” said Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty, VP & Regional General Manager EMEA, Uber. “At Uber, we will continue supporting the government’s focus on Saudization and the Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to increase women’s participation in the workforce.
“Through this partnership with Takamol Holding for “Wusool”, which is Uber’s largest subsidised transport programme globally, we are able to provide women with the opportunity to achieve their professional ambitions, as well as strive to be catalysts for economic growth in the Kingdom with their active contribution to the overall workforce.”
Saudi women aged between 18 and 65 can apply to the programme through HRDF’s Taqat gateway. To qualify for the partially subsidised “Wusool” rides on the Uber application in the Kingdom, applicants must be working in the private sector and earning an income of up to a maximum of SAR 8,000 per month.
“We are delighted to announce our partnership with Uber, a leader in the ride-hailing industry,” said Dr Ahmed Al Yamani, CEO Takamol. “This partnership will provide Saudi women with access to transportation solutions to and from their workplace, which falls under one of the strategic objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, that aims to enable members of the community to enter the workforce and bolster it under the National Transformation Program. Approximately 25,000 women currently benefit from the programme and we aim for more to join them by the end of the year 2019.”
