Saudi- Female teachers depend on illegal drivers

(MENAFN- Arab News) Saudi female teachers are often stuck with illegal expat drivers who offer cheap transport services to and from schools and universities. Most of these drivers work independently using small mini-buses but without having transferred their sponsorships.

At the same time the ongoing crackdown on illegal workers in Jeddah by the Ministry of Labor which has intensified its raids and is now checking expatriates' residency and work permits has put an end to the practice of illegal drivers on the roads. Law enforcement authorities have arrested thousands of illegal expats in recent days working without a transfer of sponsorship.

However the raids against illegal workers has created a vacuum in the school transport sector with drivers staying away from work for fear of getting caught by the authorities especially as most of them do not work under their schools' sponsorship or transport companies.

'Most bus drivers have small buses to provide transport services for schoolchildren or female teachers and are earning monthly salaries as additional incomes' Salah Khaleel a Sudanese resident who is looking for a driver for his children told Arab News. 'Several occupations have been affected by the labor laws and there are no solutions to the insufficient number of Saudis available for these jobs. In fact there is a gaping chasm in a number of the essential services sector' Abdullah Al-Youssffi an economist told Arab News.

However several international schools have stepped up efforts to transfer the sponsorship of some of their drivers and have already issued letters to their sponsors. But many families cannot afford the high cost of the bus transportation services demanded by international schools.

'I work in a private school in Jeddah and I don't have money to hire a driver. Therefore I am left with no option but to look for a driver in Jeddah who can provide me with cheap transport service' Maha Barakat a Syrian resident told Arab News.