Billionaire Saudi prince tweets support for women driving

(CNN) -- Billionaire Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has reiterated his support for giving women the right to drive in Saudi Arabia, announcing via Twitter that it would help the economy and reduce the number of foreign workers there.

"The question of women driving will result in being able to dispense with at least 500,000 (foreign) drivers, in addition to the social and economic benefits," he tweeted Sunday.

In the deeply conservative kingdom, women are prohibited from driving, and many must rely on foreign drivers for transportation.

Women's rights activist Wajeha Al-Huwaider said Monday that she was glad to hear bin Talal's comments, but she didn't think it would amount to much.

"We got used to him saying the right things but nothing happens," she said. "I think he only makes headlines, but then nothing happens."

Al-Huwaider said that while she found it interesting that bin Talal put the issue in terms of how much it was costing the country, she has "stopped following any news reports about women driving" until she hears it addressed by Abdullah.