spannermonkey

Hi Folks,

As everyone appreciates, driving in Riyadh can be viewed as somewhat risky when you consider the outcome of any accident if your an expat and were driving.

My company take a very specific position - i.e. I am not to drive. So I've been tasked with trying to find a reliable and more to the point safe/experienced full time driver.

While Ive now got a few names, none really inspire much in the way of placing my safety in their hands.

So if there is anyone out there who knows of either a company or even an individual they could recommend, I would realllllllllly like to hear from you. Even if its just a number and a name, I can follow up with them.

What I want to avoid is someone who got their license a few weeks ago - spoken to lots of those already.

Many thanks all.

themajor

If you find a trustworthy and reliable TAXI driver why not go that route. When I lived in Riyadh I hated it and managed to get a move to Jeddah. We loved it there.
Good luck mate.

spannermonkey

Thanks Major, but this is a contractual issue and a taxi driver is not acceptable from that perspective.

scot47

There will be pressure to hire a Saudi. You may have to play games and pretend that he is not really a "driver" but a "technical adviser".

mentalist

What sort of Employer refuses to allow their own Employees to drive? I lived and worked in Saudi for 8 years and drove without a single blemish.

spannermonkey

I appreciate that, but its something a lot of companies now try to do.

scot47

In Pre-history when I first went t6o Saudi (1970) foreigners were discouraged from driving. In those days "Driver" was an occupation restricted to Saudi nationals. It meant that the authorities could also keep tabs on what those dodgy foreign infidels were up to.

Then sometime during the oil boom, "Driver" became a job for Asians. Now there is an attempt to Saudi--se that job category again.

Gobobo

That makes a lot of sense. It's predicted there'll be 10 million unemployed young Saudis in the near future, making many of them taxi drivers - and deporting the existing ones - wouldn't be beyond the realms of the average young Saudi man.

Beakersful

If the resulting driver commits acts which put your life in danger, I think you've a right to demand another driver for your personal safety.

You'll be going through one a week!