Expats welcome decision to reduce driving license fee

Expatriates have welcomed Shoura Council’s decision to reduce driving license fees from SR40 to SR20.
The 50 percent cut will be applicable to both citizens and expatriates.
“It is a good move,” said Egyptian expat Rifat Ahmad.
The Shoura Council also voted to extend the validity period of licenses from two years to 10 years for a private driving license, which includes motorcycles. All other licenses will be valid for five years.
A source at Jeddah’s Traffic Department said fees cost SR400 for a 10-year license of a private vehicle.
He further explained that temporary car license fees cost SR100 a month and that the same cost applies to small trucks fitted with extra equipment.
Fahaad Al-Hamad, assistant chairman of the Shoura Council, said the council reduced driving license fees after amending a clause within Article 36 of the traffic regulations, while the validity period of a license was extended after amending
Article 41 of the same set of regulations.
He said that the council supported the idea that driving is a fundamental right and that no one should be made to pay more than the administrative cost required for acquiring a license.
The council also discussed an action plan for the conversion of major roads in the Kingdom to expressways and also reviewed the current method used to operate weighing bridges for trucks on roads.
It also stressed the need for posting more warning signs, providing safety warnings at roadwork locations and ensuring the quality of detours.
According to the latest statistics, there are more than eight million cars in the Kingdom, with an annual growth rate of 700,000 cars, while the annual rate is projected to reach 1 million cars within 10 years.