Taxi drivers say they are exploited

Dubai: Taxi drivers say that they are exploited both by passengers and the management of the taxi companies.

"Some passenger shout at us and even misbehave when we try to explain to them that we are off-duty or going to attend a passenger, who made a phone reservation," a driver told Gulf News.

Many drivers say that no one listen to their grievances and the management slaps fines on them in case of any complaint. "We have no right to complain against passengers and managers who treat us like personal servants," another driver complained.

"Some time, even drunk people misbehave with us but we try to keep our cool."

"We do get upset when we get stuck in traffic jams or get a passenger for a very short distance after a long wait in a taxi queue at a shopping centre or a hotel," said Yaseen, a young taxi driver.

He said majority of the taxi drivers are polite and never refuse a passenger for a shorter distance. "Only a handful of drivers are bringing us bad name."

He said many of the drivers end up paying an average of Dh400 to Dh1,000 in fines every month to the RTA taxi inspectors, parking inspectors and police.

"I got only Dh500 last month after paying my fines and paying for a small accident," he said

Housing issues

Maqbool Akhtar, a Pakistani, who drives for a franchise company, said: "After a hard days work of up to 12 hours, it is very tiring to come home to a small flat where he shares a bed space. His contract does not include a housing allowance."

He said his salary sometimes is around Dh2,000 per month but after paying for his accommodation he doesn't have much to send home.

"I think if your work contract is in Dubai there should be accommodation arranged for you in Dubai. Too many drivers come from Sharjah, Ajman or Umm Al Quwain. I think companies should have buildings with rooms for us and we could bring our families to live here too," said Akhtar.

He said once a customer reacted violently when he told him he was off duty. "He was banging the window and kicking the door. I had to call the police because if he breaks the window I would have to pay," he said.

Anwar, a long time taxi driver, said there is hardly any dialogue between the management and the drivers, and often decisions are imposed on them.

"We are not included in any of the decision making, which is a problem because the decisions affect the drivers ... we would just like to be heard," he said.

He said the fine system whereby unsubstantiated complaints can be made against drivers is also a great concern.

He contends that simple misunderstandings can result in harsh fines being imposed.

However, Anwar is keen to stress that not all drivers are innocent and says that a minority has given the profession a bad name, by being rude or refusing to take passengers on short trips.

- With additional inputs from Zoi Constantine and Emmanuelle Landais