Cabbies Play ‘Emotional’ Card

DUBAI — With the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) cracking the whip on taxi drivers in Dubai who decline to ferry passengers to certain destinations,

some of the taxi drivers have now devised list of ‘emotional’ excuses in order to ensure that the passengers do not lodge complaints against them.

The taxi drivers also decline some passengers on the basis of ethnic preference and the kind of attire.

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“I have come across weird excuses from so many taxi drivers. The surprising thing is that most of them tend to give the same excuses. The most common of them is that their duty is over and they are going for a shift change. If that is so, why do they stop when we signal them. Destinations like Sharjah, Deira, Nasr Square are the most common where they do not want to go,” said Rehaan Alam, a bank employee based in Dubai.

Another common excuse given by the drivers is that they need to reach the airport immediately to pick up a friend.

“I have heard this from a lot of them. I know that they are lying but then the way they present their excuse prevents me from lodging a complaint with the RTA.

“Moreover, many drivers have said that complaints make little difference as action cannot be taken against so many of them. It is high time that the authorities came up with something very concrete that would make a difference,” said Filipino Julianne Espritu.

“They just say anything they want for an excuse. One of them recently told me that he had to visit a hospital in order to see an ailing friend and that he ‘thought’ that I was going the same way. The driver just drove off when I argued. The RTA says the drivers are given lessons in mannerism and etiquette before they start driving. Is this the way to behave with the passengers,” said an angry Abdul Murshid, a Pakistani national living in Deira.

“Another common excuse is that they are going to pray. I am also a Muslim and know the importance of praying. But if they are heading for the mosque, why do they stop for passengers? A majority of them just don’t want to go to Deira and they give so many excuses,” he added.

When confronted, some of the taxi drivers said they worked on commission basis and had no option but to make excuses in order to achieve their targets.

“Each day we need to earn at least Dh300 in order to get a decent salary at the end of the month. If we do a business of Dh300 everyday, we will get a salary of Dh2,700. Moreover, each taxi is shared by two drivers in shifts, which has added to our problems.

“We understand the problems the passengers face, but then we also need to take care of ourselves. A trip from Bur Dubai to Sharjah City Centre easily takes two hours on a normal day and the fare amounts to about Dh70.