Many women workers here are demanding that their employers provide them transport to and from workplace because of the rising cost of hiring private drivers and taking public taxis.

Basma Rafei, an office secretary, said: “I receive only SR400 as transport allowance a month while drivers ask for salaries ranging from SR900 to SR1,200. Instead of a meager transport allowance, it would be better if companies arrange transport for us employees, such as a bus or a car to pick us up and drop us off.”

Afreen Syed, a public relations officer, said: “The fees of drivers have increased 20 to 30 percent since the recent crackdown on illegal workers. They now charge SR1,500 a month.”

She said many drivers often pick them up late because they are busy, which causes problems with their bosses. Company owners could solve this problem by arranging transport for them, suggested Syed.

Several women also complained that they are forced to hire taxis because their male guardians are not always available to ferry them to work.

Shop assistant Nargis Abdurub said a one-way taxi ride to her office costs around SR50. Taking public taxis places her at risk of harassment, she said.

She said women-friendly transport is a major issue in the Kingdom. Most women try to avoid traveling by taxi.

Big corporate companies can afford to provide decent and safe transport for their women workers, said Abdurub. Women working in various malls say company transport would help them save money.

“Malls can provide staff buses for women like at hospitals and schools. Sometimes we work two shifts and it is difficult to hire a taxi after 9 p.m. in the event our personal drivers don’t pick us up,” said Saara Saleh, a saleswoman.

She said many companies have between 15 and 18 women workers, for whom they can provide a minibus.

Several women said companies should provide this service because the development of the much-vaunted public transport system appears increasingly unlikely.