First Saudi woman receives driver's license

Saudi General Traffic Directorate on Monday started issuing licences to women, ahead of the country lifting its decades-long ban on their driving.

A video is also doing the rounds on the social media, capturing the moment when a Saudi woman was issued a licence to sit behind the wheels on the roads.

The decades-long ban will come to an end on June 24.

As per a Saudi Press Agency report, "Saudi General Traffic Directorate started here today trading in international licenses for national ones, for the sake of Saudi women, holding such driving licenses of other countries, from all over the world, provided that they are internationally recognized."

This move has however gathered mixed reaction on social media, with some lauding the move and others criticising it for taking so many years to allow women to drive.

"A woman...emphasis on A...just one #woman, but it's progress. #Saudi #SaudiArabia" praised one.

"Congratulations to my Saudi sisters!!" tweeted another.

But a user wrote, "The drivers license didn't exist in the US before 1910. Yet women were driving. Allowed to drive without additional constraint because basic human rights. 108 years later after its inception, Saudi Arabia grants the same basic human right. And they're lauded for it. What a world."

"In Turkey, woman were entitled to be elected and selected at 5 December 1934..

In that period, Turkey had its own female pilot as well.

Now Saudis are being applaud bcoz of its females are able to get driving license.. So funny," wrote an user.