Dubai It is not the best feeling in the world sitting in a taxi watching the fare grow bigger and bigger by the minute.

Taxis can be a very convenient way to travel, but does it burn too big a hole in our pockets each time we use them?

Saffron Goodyear
The subject was recently put under the spotlight by a Gulf News poll that found 89.6 per cent of people thought metered taxi fares had become exorbitant.

Just 7.9 per cent disagreed with the suggestion that they were too expensive, while 2.5 per cent were unsure.

City Talk spoke to a variety of residents to find out if they thought metered taxis were too expensive.

Saffron Goodyear, 32, a British sales manager for a publishing company, spends a whopping Dh120 on taxis to go from her home in The Greens to her office in Garhoud and back.

"Taxis here are expensive. They are a lot cheaper than the United Kingdom, but because this place is built on motorways, you can cover quite long distances even though it doesn't take that long, so the taxi driver makes good money.

Shahid Hassan
"It would be better if there were set prices between places, or you could easily just hire a driver," she said.

Iranian clothes shop worker Masoud Mokhtri, 25, also thought Dubai's metered taxis charged too much.

"They should charge about three-quarters as much as they do," he said.

Irene Lelou, 44, a housewife from Greece, agreed that charges were too high.

"I get them maybe two or three times a week and compared to the cost of living here they are expensive, especially for people who aren't on huge pay packages.

"There is not much alternative to them because apart from the buses there is no public transport such as an underground," she said.

Amel Al Hussaini
Shahid Hassan, a 40-year-old sales and systems administrator from India, said the initial Dh3 flag charge in Dubai's metered taxis was too high.

"The cost of living in Dubai is going up and so you don't have much money to spare for taxis. They seem to be expensive," he said.

Receptionist Ghie Proviben, 35, from the Philippines, said Dubai's taxis were expensive compared to those in Abu Dhabi, where she lives.

Like Hassan, she said the flag charge of Dh3 was too high in Dubai and said the fares went up too fast every mile.

"They are a lot cheaper in Abu Dhabi. In Abu Dhabi they are very good and I use them every day," she said.

British teacher's assistant Janice Gimber, 46, said she thought taxis picked up from airports charged over the odds.

Masoud Mokhtri
"A friend of mine came from Abu Dhabi airport and was charged Dh130 to go from there to Dubai, then a week later the same journey was Dh300. They said it was because of the increase in petrol prices, but it really shocked me," she said.

Harish Bhatia, 33, an Indian who works in the airline industry, said his main gripe about taxis was not the cost but that they often did not arrive when requested by telephone.

"The taxi companies don't seem to have a system of contacting the person closest to you, so you have to wait at least 40 minutes and sometimes it takes two or three calls before one arrives," he said.

A similar complaint was echoed by Adosh Sharma, a 29-year-old merchandiser from India.

"They are not that readily available. If you are at Deira City Centre, you can wait half an hour for a cab," he said.

He added that he thought Dubai's metered taxis were pricier than those in other world cities such as Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong.

"If you are doing long distances, they can work out pretty expensive," he said.

By contrast, Egyptian housewife Amel Al Hussaini, while saying Dubai's metered taxis were "a little bit expensive", said they were not hard to find.

"If you call them, they will come and pick you up from your house. It's easy. Also, if they see someone standing on the pavement, they will come for you.

"In many other cities, they are much more reluctant to pick you up and take you where you want to go.

"They will say things like the place you want to go to is too crowded or they are finished for the day, but here they take commission so they are keen to give you a lift," she said.

A similar comment came from Vicky Hamilton, 40, who comes from the United Kingdom and works as managing director of a media firm.

She said that while she thought taxis in Dubai had become too expensive she pays about Dh60 to get into the centre of the city they were at least easily available.

"They are always clean and they are there in minutes. If you live in London it can take hours to get one. It's a shame they have become expensive," she said.

Advertising worker Gordon Astley, 41, from the United Kingdom, said what annoyed him most about taxis were the manners of the drivers.

"When you hand over the money, only about a quarter of them ever say thank you. It is so rude," he said.

Mohammad Abid, a 40-year-old Pakistani, certainly has firm views on the cost of taxis because he drives one. He said it was unfair to say that Dubai's metered taxis charged too much.

"From a poor man's point of view they may be expensive, but for a rich man it's very cheap. The fares are not that high and my taxi's prices have been the same for a long time.

"Taxis in Dubai are nice, they are fast and they are easily available,|" he said.