25 Saudis Get Keys for Limousine Cars in Riyadh

JEDDAH, 19 May 2005 — At the main center at Shumaisi in Riyadh for the Abdul Latif Jameel Community Services Programs, 25 men received the keys for the limousine cars they will be working in. This is the tenth group that has graduated from the ALJ program for drivers of limousine car. The total now stands at 208 in the Riyadh region alone.

Five hundred and seventy Saudis across the country have participated in the program.

This latest group was chosen from 150 applicants after they had bone through a process of interviews, background checks, final interview and completing their papers before signing the agreement with them.

Mohammed Jameel, chairman of the board of directors for the ALJ Community Services Program, handed the young men the keys for the cars they will be working in the central region at a ceremony earlier this week at the new headquarters at Shumaisi.

“Since the start of the program in 2003, ten consecutive groups had graduated and more than 570 men found jobs as limousine drivers,” said Ibrahim Badawood, general manager of the first ALJ community service program. “The program is one of the programs by ALJ Fund for Supporting Small Businesses. The idea is that a limousine is a small business that the young man will own after three years. Then he can apply for another limousine and own it after three years and so forth. One day he might establish a limousine company hiring other Saudi men to drive his fleet of cars,” explained Badawood.

This program has proved attractive to many unemployed Saudi men. It is a non-profit program aiming to provide job opportunities for Saudis with a desire to contribute to the community. The program offers the men a new car with full insurance coverage and maintenance in return for affordable installments with no interest. This in addition to health insurance provided to the participants.

All that the program requires is that the applicants have a valid driving license, work full-time as a driver and work in the region he lives in. Most important is that he be serious about working in this field.