Dubai: A taxi driver told a young passenger he would take part-payment for the ride if she agreed to kiss him in lieu of the remainder of the fare — which came to Dh10.

The 13-year-old Uzbek girl told Gulf News that she had gone with a group of her friends to Dubai Festival City on Thursday.

"I went with my friend in his mother's car and she accompanied us," the little girl said.

The girl said she and her friends were regular visitors to Festival City, often going out to play and dine there on Thursdays and Fridays.

The girl, who lives in Sharjah, said she was at Festival City until around 10pm. "I told my friends I cannot stay longer as my mum said I had to come back home although my friends wanted me to stay," she said.

"I asked my friends, who are all of my age, with some being a year older or younger than me, to wait with me until I take a taxi home."

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The girl, a grade-eight student, said she took a taxi from the taxi rank near the front entrance of Dubai Festival City.

"I was not afraid and I thought it was safe for me to take a taxi from the mall," she said.

She said she took down the name of the taxi company and the cab number. She said she will approach the police to file a complaint.

She said the mother of her friend, who drove them down, had insisted she not return alone by taxi.

"I told her it is fine and I am used to that and my mum will wait for me near my house," she said.

The girl said when she reached home in Sharjah, her mother was waiting anxiously for her on the balcony of their flat.

"My friend's mother gave me Dh50 to pay for the taxi. I handed the driver the money but he took only Dh40 and he asked me to give him a kiss instead of the rest of Dh10," she said.

The girl said she almost froze in fear.

"I was scared to the point that I could not breath. It was around 11pm and no one was in the street around me," she said.

"I was sitting inside the car. I started screaming at the driver hysterically. I have no idea how I opened the door and started running home," she recalled. "I will never ever take a cab either alone or with friends."

The mother of the girl said they will report the matter to police in order to prevent recurrence of such incidents.