If you’ve travelled at all, you already know: a definite telltale of a city’s hospitality and design is its transportation infrastructure. Riyadh in particular has all the amenities one would expect from a modern metropolis, that make sure that whether you simply visit or live there, getting around is easy and efficient.
While walking is always a relaxing option and the best way to take in the sights and learn the city, long distances and on average higher temperatures all year long mean that walking simply will not be a good means of transportation to really get around most of the time. Walking is better reserved for relaxing strolls in the shade of curated parks, such as the ones within Antara. But when it comes to moving around, there’s no need to worry. Riyadh has you covered.
Riyadh’s Transportation Services
For starters, public transportation infrastructure is well developed to entail all that we may be used to: from car hailing apps such as Uber and the locally operated Careem that function exactly as you’ve grown to expect, to regularly scheduled (roughly once every 15 minutes) bus routes and well maintained vehicles.
Riyadh also has a rapidly growing modern metro system, expected to be fully completed with lines covering all of Riyadh within 2023, that will safely and quickly take you where you need to go. To round up public transportation options, we can’t neglect to mention the staple of any city: the reliable traditional taxi, available both at designated taxi areas as well as being able to hail them on the street.
New and Improved Riyadh
However, public transportation, while affordable, convenient and environmentally conscious, is not well suited for every situation, as some situations call for your own schedule and the privacy of your own means of transportation. Thankfully, Riyadh, and Saudi Arabia in general, is home to one of the best planned, and higher quality road networks in the world. And as a result, it’s a joy to drive on it.
Expats have several options when it comes to renting a car, either for short term or long term leases. Like most countries in the world, Saudi Arabia uses the right side of the road, so many expats will have no difficulty adjusting, either. There will be no unwelcome surprises there.
The Benefits for Expats
A welcome surprise, though, is the much lower on average cost of obtaining and maintaining a personal vehicle. Due to lower cost, lower import fee, lower cost of fuel and overall lower cost of upkeep, you might just find that the car of your dreams that was out of reach back home, is highly affordable in Saudi Arabia. And as should be mentioned, for expats, a company provided car is almost always included in your employment offer.
Depending on your home country, there may even be a driving license exchange program, so you may be able to hit the ground running if you’re from the US, Canada, Australia or another Gulf country. If not, don’t worry, you can fully and legally drive up to 3 months with your current license, at which point you will need to have obtained a Saudi license to continue doing so.
With so many things to do and see in Riyadh, getting around plays a vital role in your Saudi Arabia experience. And like many other aspects of your stay, the quality of that experience is top priority.
