A small sign of social transformation in the Kingdom came on Sept. 26, 2017, with a royal decree lifting the decades-long ban on women driving. Women throughout Saudi Arabia waited for the stroke of midnight, turned the keys in the ignition, fired up their engines — and hit the road to a bright new future. Several diplomats and rights activists have hailed the landmark decision of the Saudi leadership allowing women to drive, which will cut reliance on foreign workers and boost job growth in the Kingdom.