Dubai: Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC) has helped passengers recover over 59 per cent of their lost properties in its fleet, and this includes a bizarre case of an infant who was once left behind by an Arab family in a seven-seat taxi, a top official said.
DTC chief executive officer Dr Yousuf Al Ali, commending taxi driver Liton Chandra Nath Pal Nepal for returning 25kg of gold to a passenger, said: “This is not the first such case. We have helped restore 59 per cent of items lost in our fleet to their owners. This includes the case of a baby who was left behind by the family in the back seat of the taxi.”
Baby left In Dubai Taxi
He said, “The family forgot the baby and then complained to the police that the driver had stolen their child. By this time, the driver had already brought the child to us.”
Huge iPhone haul
He said a total of 3,286 items had been forgotten in DTC’s 4,900 taxis between January and August this year.
“Of this, around 60 per cent were mobile phones, 45 per cent being iPhones alone. Lost passports accounted for another 25 per cent, while clothes and other items comprised the rest.”
Dubai cabbie returns 25kg gold to passenger
He said the loss of a mobile phone in today’s times can cost a person dear. “It’s not about the instrument as much as it is about the data that is lost.”
He said the sense of relief and joy on the faces of passengers when a lost mobile phone is returned to them is priceless. “In fact, we have captured these expressions in a special book.”
Dubai Taxi Driver returns lost gold
He said Chandra Nath had set a fine example for his peers by returning gold worth Dh3.5 million.
He said honesty is given much emphasis right from the time of the driver’s selection, through training and reinforcement.
When drivers find a lost item, they are required to follow due procedure by reporting it to Dubai Police and RTA’s Call Centre.
Dr Ali said Chandra Nath’s conduct should serve as a reminder of the positive attributes of taxi drivers who are often looked at with disdain.
“The public has a negative perception about taxi drivers and that should change. These drivers must be treated with the respect they deserve.”
