Don't Bother Yelling "Taxi!" In Saudi Arabia Anymore

The LA Times writes about a new law in Saudi Arabia, which has yet to take effect, that will prohibit taxis from cruising the streets of the big cities for fares. The story asserts that it will affect women most of all. I'm still not sure how it will work for women who use cabs to go shopping. I'm sure the powerful retail merchants of the Kingdom won't want any limits on the ability of female customers to get to their stores.

A link to the story is here and the text is pasted below.
September 1, 2012

Saudi Arabia's Transport Ministry has come up with a novel way to cut traffic in the kingdom's congested cities: Taxis will now be banned from cruising the streets and picking up passengers without an advance booking.
The new policy, announced Friday, is part of a major revamping of the taxi system that will require drivers to install an Automated Vehicle Locator in their cars. The Big Brother-like device will allow authorities to track their every movement. Unauthorized stops, excessive speeds or driving without an assigned passenger pickup can lead to fines up to $1,300 or license revocation for repeat offenders,  Al Madina newspaper reported.
The new monitoring system was necessary to limit the number of vehicles on busy streets in the two main urban centers of the kingdom, Riyadh and Jeddah, where 31,000-plus taxis are licensed to operate, the newspaper said.
The change is expected to primarily affect women, who are prohibited from driving in Saudi Arabia and banned from bus travel on most urban routes as well.
Anyone wanting a taxi -- even from heavily traveled venues like airports and shopping centers -- will have to call in advance to get a car dispatched, Al Arabiya news agency reported.
Neither news story specified when the new tracking system would go into effect.