Taxing time on the road

Dubai: The seemingly simple task of hailing a taxi has become a major headache in Dubai.

While there used to be an abundance of taxis earlier, residents and tourists in the city are now facing an acute shortage of cabs, resulting in long queues, especially at shopping malls and hotels.

The situation is even worse when trying to hail a cab, a task that is almost impossible in congested areas of Deira and Bur Dubai.

Passengers complain that drivers are refusing to take them short distances, while others complain of 'rude' drivers, who are not trained to deal with passengers.

But, what do taxi drivers have to deal with on a daily basis and what are the authorities doing to expand the taxi network to meet growing demand? Gulf News investigates.

The emirate will have at least 50 per cent more taxis on the roads by the end of this year, a senior transport official has said.

"Around 540 new taxis will be added this year while there will be two shifts for at least 2,000 taxis as we are recruiting more drivers," said Obaid Al Mulla, Chief Executive Officer of Public Transport Department at the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

Currently, Dubai has around 6,000 taxis including 3,090 run by Dubai Taxi - owned by the RTA and around 2,880 taxis run by five franchise taxi companies.

Around 540 new taxis will be included in a fleet of franchise companies while Dubai Taxi will recruit at least 2,000 drivers to run two shifts for its fleet. Currently, around 1,000 Dubai Taxi cars are run in two shifts while around 2,090 operate in a single shift. Franchise companies are already operating taxis in two shifts.

"With the start of two shifts, there will be at least 2,000 more taxis on roads as all the taxis will be on the roads round the clock," explained Al Mulla, adding that he believes there is no need to add more taxis after adding new stock to the fleet this year.

Ranking system

"The RTA is developing a comprehensive public transport system. There will be fewer people using taxis after the improvement of other forms of public transport and the launch of the Dubai Metro," he said.

The RTA is spending Dh1.9 billion on acquiring 620 new luxury buses by next year while the first phase of the Dh15.5 billion Dubai Metro project will be operational in September 2009.

Ammar Bin Tamim, Director of Dubai Taxi at the RTA, said they are in the process of setting up a ranking system to cope with passenger demand in different areas of Dubai. "We will allocate taxis for at least 18 different areas for easy accessibility for passengers and to meet taxi shortage complaints in some areas," he said.

Bin Tamim said that many taxi drivers prefer to operate in new areas of Dubai to avoid traffic congestion and to make more money.

"But this practice will be curbed after the ranking system is in place," he said. However, Bin Tamim described the drivers as "our partners."

Have your say
How often do you take a taxi? Do you take it for work or shopping? How do you rate the service? Is it comparable to the service in other countries? Share your experiences with us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com or fill in the form below to send your comments.

I have had good experiences with the taxi service here. Each time I call the hotline to order a taxi in advance, they do send one in 15 minutes. The fare starts at Dh7, which is still okay compared to the hassles of having to wait outside.
Prakash
Dubai,UAE

Dubai taxi drivers are rude. RTA should really maintain some discipline among their drivers. They give tourists their 1st impression of Dubai. RTA should buy super ventilated buses!!!Just in case my point isn't clear, the body odour in the bus is very foul!!!
Mark
Dubai,UAE

The majority of the taxi drivers in Dubai lacks personal hygene, they smell terrible. Hope that the city officials will do something about that.
Emmanuel
Lisbon,Portugal

Geting a taxi is really a pain because no taxi in Bur Dubai waits for customers.
Vishal
Dubai,UAE

First thing - taxi drivers don't stop. Secondly, they ask where we have to go and then say no. In case they take us they make you feel guilty about hiring them. Taxi drivers are rude, and don't bother if you complain against them. It's very difficult to travel by taxi.
Hussain
Bangalore,India

I live in Bur Dubai and my office is in Karama. I used to wait for more than an hour to get the taxi, most of them don't bother to stop or some that stop don't want to go to Karama. They don't have respect for passengers anymore and they don't care as well.
Awais
Dubai,UAE

In Sharjah it is worse! The drivers decide if they want to take the passenger or no. They keep the door locked, open a power window and asks from there. If we say for example, JNP Roundabout, they say. "No too much traffic there." Some of them don't answer; they simply close the window leave.
Mohammed
Sharjah,UAE

Last month I left my car for service and I had to commute by taxi. I wasn't able to because not a single driver stopped. One driver just ignored me, and when I made a gesture he just imitated me in mockery. Another driver rolled down the window and asked me "Where?" and when I rushed towards his cab, he just took off quickly.
Bassel
Dubai,UAE

Its a grieving state to travel by taxi in Dubai. You can hardly find a taxi driver who is polite and courteous in his behaviour. They are far from that when you compare them to West and Far East. They must possess a better attitude towards people, its customer service rules.
Michael Gonsalves
Dubai,UAE

I have lived in the UAE for over 10 years. For the first 5 years I used to always travel by taxis as taxi fares were negotiable. Even when the metered taxis started, they were enjoyable as going to Sharjah cost only Dh22. Now it is a nightmare. I once paid Dh35.50 to Deira from Bur Dubai as we got stuck in traffic.
Kishin
Dubai,UAE

It is not the shortage of taxis but the attitude of taxi drivers that is causing the problem. On a couple of occasions, I had been to Carrefour Shindagha and not finding a taxi I began walking with my bags and decided to stop a taxi on the way. A taxi driver passed by and stopped to have tea and when he finished, I told him I had to go to Shoe Mart and he refused.
Maureen
Dubai,UAE

I used to take a cab almost every day from Deira to Wafi City and back to Deira. I had some bitter experiences with some of the drivers. One of them even manhandled just because I asked him for the receipt. I made a medical report, spending one full working day, and complained to the police and the taxi company.
Ilyas
Dubai,UAE

I take a cab nearly 3 times a week. I live in Qussais 1, but never seemed to have a problem. But on Thursdays, it is horrible, with malls having 50 people in waiting. I have had errant drivers telling me I will drop you off 100 meters away from your destination because he could grab another passenger, but all I said is that I am paying for that 100 meters, so you better go! RTA needs more taxis and better drivers, please!
RSB
Dubai,UAE

I stay near National Paints R/A and travel to Deira daily. As there is no means of public transport we need to depend on taxis. They charge Dh10 per head and make us wait till he gets his taxi filled. The actual meter reading is just Dh20 to Dh25 and he makes a profit of about Dh20 apart from billed commission. The government should bring some service between the emirates where at least we can reach a bus stand and take a bus.
Sundar
Sharjah,UAE

RTA and Sharjah Transport authorities should strictly take some actions on the taxi drivers who refuse to take the passengers to their desired location. This is a major problem faced by all the people willing to come to Dubai from Sharjah during working hours. Sharjah Transport Authorities should also release some toll free numbers for this kind of complaints like we have in Dubai 800 90 90.
Maulin
Dubai,UAE

I have taken taxis lots of times, usually to commute from Dubai to Sharjah. But due to the increase in traffic problems taxi drivers refuse to take the route (stating various reasons - like shift closure). There are times when taxis just whiz past, leaving a lot of passengers stranded.
Raoul
Dubai,UAE

I truly agree and strongly believe that there should be more taxis on the roads of Dubai. On the one hand, the government is trying to reduce the number of cars owned by public, on the other hand due to parking issues when we prefer using taxis, its a Herculean task to get one. Moreover, almost every time one needs to argue with the driver, me being Indian at least get away with retaliating with the driver, but what about tourists and other expats who cannot communicate with the drivers? Please do something!
Karthik
Dubai,UAE

As a woman travelling by taxi often, I have yet to set my eyes on a pink taxi. As bad as the traffic situation may be, I feel that it is better for me mentally and physically to drive rather than travel in a taxi. Racism, rude behaviour, risky driving, total lack of consideration for women, children and the elderly, are just some of the experiences I have had in this city. Travel to Jumeirah and hail a cab and you'll have ten people standing in line. Try to get one in Deira and you'll have to wait ten days before one stops.
Umaima
Dubai,UAE

It is a nightmarish experience to hire a taxi in Dubai. You simply feel frustrated just trying to hail a cab and none will stop. Taxi drivers often do that, especially when they see you with kids.
Baljit
Sharjah,UAE

Because of traffic jams in the city, one has to pay at least Dh50 for a 10km ride. In Riyadh it will only cost you Dh5 or Dh10.
Abdul
Riyadh,Saudi Arabia

It has become very difficult to get a taxi in the city. If you try to hail a taxi in Al Quoz, you will have to wait at least two hours.
Mohammed
Dubai,UAE

You can see a long line of taxis waiting outside hotels. I suggest that authorities restrict the number of taxis in the queue to three.
Javed
Dubai,UAE

Last Friday, a friend and I took a taxi from Saint Mary's churce to the Al Ghubaiba bus station. When we got inside the taxi, we noticed that the driver smelled bad. So we asked him in a nice way if he could roll down the windows so we could get fresh air. The driver got angry with us, stopped the vehicle and told us to get out and pay the fare.
Evelyn
Dubai,UAE

I no longer travel in taxis because taxi drivers just don't know how to treat customers with respect.
Punartha
Thrischi,India