Tourism to match oil as biggest contributor to Saudi Arabia’s economy by 2030, minister says

RIYADH: It is just over 10 years since the Uber smartphone-based car-hailing service launched in Riyadh. Since then, it has expanded to other cities in the Kingdom and, as Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told a panel at the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is now one of the company’s fastest growing markets.

There are now 140,000 Saudi nationals driving on the platform, serving 4 million riders in 20 cities across the Kingdom.  

Now, said Khosrowshahi, the company was poised to take the next technological step — and, he predicted, autonomous vehicles will soon be seen on the streets of the Kingdom.

“You will see autonomous vehicles in Saudi Arabia this year,” Khosrowshahi told…