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Abra operators demand hike in passenger fare

To a romantic, they might seem to be a quaint and picturesque way to cross the creek, similar to something straight out of a storybook!

But that's not the case for abra operators who ply these vessels along the Dubai Creek. For them, their ancient trade holds no particular charm. In fact, they lead a very hard life as they eke out a meagre living from their abras.

"I work for 18 hours a day. During that time, I take dozens of people across the creek. And what am I left with after a long working day? Only about Dh30 to Dh40," complained Iqbal Aziz of Pakistan who has been operating an abra along the Dubai creek for the past seven years.

"I left my native country, Iran, 12 years ago when I was just a teenager to come to Dubai and earn a living," said Raza Ali. "Throughout that time, I have been driving an abra along the Dubai creek. After spending such a big part of my life here, I don't have anything to show for it."

Rising costs and stagnant wages are the main reasons for their sufferings. For the past few years, abra operators have been charging commuters 50 fils each for taking them across the creek. This charge has been fixed by the authorities and cannot be increased by them. The cost of diesel is on the rise. Abra operators say when they were first asked to charge 50 fils per passenger by the authorities, the cost of a gallon of diesel was not more than Dh3. Now a gallon of diesel costs Dh9. Hence, abra operators feel the charge should be fixed at Dh1. This they believe would let them have a decent living.

"Apart from diesel, room rents, utility bills and food stuff cost more today. How can we survive with the same wage that we were earning a decade ago? In fact, we are earning less than what we used to earn ten years ago," complained Vijay Shakti of India.

Rehmat Sartaj of Pakistan said, "I have been driving an abra for the last 30 years. Things used to be better before as there were fewer expenses. Now it's the opposite."

The competition is also stiff as the number of abras operating along the Dubai creek has increased.

"More than 10 years ago, there used to be only about 50 abras operating along the creek," said Raju Ahuja of India who has been an abra operator for the past 17 years. "Now the number has risen to 150."

• UAE