Dubai: The new minimum taxi fare of Dh12, up from the earlier round figure of Dh10, has caused a small change crunch on Dubai roads, as passengers and taxi drivers desperately rummage through their pockets for loose coins.
Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) revised taxi charges as of December 1. Ever since, the minimum taxi fare has risen to Dh12 from Dh10. Flag-down rates now start from Dh5 instead of Dh3.50 during peak hours while meter rates for booked cabs have gone up to Dh8 from Dh6 during off-peak hours and Dh12 from Dh10 during peak periods.
Where’s the change?
“I am invariably running late to work these days,” said Maria, a Filipina receptionist who uses a taxi every day to cover the short distance between her home and office in Deira. “The earlier Dh10 minimum fare was convenient. But I have to pay an extra Dh2 now and it’s so difficult to find change every day, especially in the mornings. A lot of time is wasted when the taxi driver doesn’t have coins and we have to source it from a third party.”
Tim Rogers, an American who takes a taxi to and from the Jumeirah Lake Towers Metro station to his workplace in the same area, said: “I face a coin crisis every other day and sometimes end up paying the driver Dh15 instead of Dh12.”
Indian housewife Sheetal said she has got into a tiff with a couple of drivers as they were short of change. “Something needs to be done about the minimum fare. I wish they revert it back to Dh10.”
Taxi drivers say they are as hassled as the passengers. “This is a new problem and hope it will iron out with time. I have foregone the Dh2 change on two occasions and have paid it from my own pocket,” said one driver.
Another driver said: “I have started collecting coins. I try to procure change every time I have a cup of tea at a restaurant. Passengers too should do the same.”
An immediate comment was not available from RTA.
