Whooping and ululating, joyful Saudi women finally take the wheel
More than 120,000 females apply for licences as the conservative Islamic country lifts its driving ban, inching towards greater equality of the sexes
Riyadh — They hit the road in celebratory packs, whooping and ululating for joy. Teenagers gathered on Riyadh’s main boulevard to gawk. Men cracked jokes about how lucky they were to no longer have to chauffeur their wives around. Saudi Arabia’s infamous ban on women driving came to an end with a mixture of excitement and trepidation early Sunday, as groups of women cruised the streets of the capital. The government said that more than 120,000 women have applied for licences, and the handful of driving schools that serve women have months-long waiting lists. "You finally feel — I want to say, ‘equal,’" said Norah Albaiz, after she drove to Starbucks behind the wheel of her father’s Toyota Land Cruiser. "We’re getting there. Nothing can stop me now." Few issues have been as polarising in the conservative Islamic kingdom as the prohibition on female drivers, which Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman promised to end as part of his plan to open up the oil-dependent economy and loosen socia...
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