Saudi women threaten to boycott Uber

Several Saudi women have announced on Twitter that they plan to boycott Uber after the government’s sovereign wealth fund said it would invest $3.5 billion in the ride-sharing service.

Many of the women, who voiced their concerns under the hashtag #Saudi Women Announce Uber Boycott, see the investment as a sign that the driving ban for women in the kingdom will not be lifted anytime soon.

Others explained in Tweets that the Uber deal reaffirmed their belief that the government and other car businesses plan to directly profit from the ban.

“Part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 is to invest at the expense of Saudi women, instead of granting them their rights,’’ one user tweeted.

#سعوديات_يعلن_مقاطعه_اوبر

من ضمن رؤية المملكة العربية السعودية 2030 هي إستثمار على حساب جيب المرأة بدلاً من إعطائها حقوقها .

— هاجر البراهيم (@h_jarr) June 2, 2016

“All people should #BoycottUber they made a wicked contract and #Saudi women will pay the price. Shame on you @Uber,” another user wrote.

All people should #BoycottUber they made a wicked contract and #saudi women will pay the price..shame on u @Uber #سعوديات_يعلن_مقاطعه_اوبر

— ثراء فاحش (@Bayazidt) June 4, 2016

Saudi women have often complained that the driving ban imposes a financial burden on middle and lower middle class families who are forced to hire drivers or rely on male relatives to drive them around.

Saudi Arabia, the only country in the world where women are not allowed to drive, also lacks an integrated public transport system.

Uber has been operating in Riyadh since 2014, along with other car and taxi services, such as the UAE-based Careem.

Saudi Arabia’s investment in Uber falls under a wider strategy aimed at diversifying its economy away from oil.

It remains to be seen whether the online campaign would translate into an actual boycott. Several Twitter-based campaigns to push for lifting the driving ban have faltered in the past.