The Social Development Fund will provide funding to Saudis wishing to work in the ride-hailing industry through vehicle-dispatching platforms, according to Dr. Ibrahim Al-Shafi, Undersecretary for Special Programs at the Ministry of Labor and Social Development.

During a recent workshop organized by the Ministry under the title «Violations of Saudi Nationalization Requirements for Taxis via Ride-Hailing Platforms,» held at the Ministry’s headquarters in Riyadh, the support mechanisms and incentives provided by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development and its partners in the public and private sectors, with the aim of restricting work in the taxi industry through ride-hailing platforms to Saudis, while allowing expatriate workers to work in the taxi industry only in public and private taxis, including training and financial support programs to be administered by the Human Resources Development Fund (Hadaf).

The workshop was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, the Transport Authority, as well as private-sector partners and investors. They discussed the challenges facing the Saudization of the Kingdom’s private taxi sector and ways to implement this decision to Saudize an activity that is as important and vital as other activities and sectors in terms of job security.