Dubai Over the past 15 years that Subhan Abdul Rahman has been behind the wheels of the Dubai Taxi Corporation's cabs, he has caused no accident, received no traffic fine and has had zero customer complaints.
He's also generated fairly high revenues.
Rahman, a 51-year-old Indian from the state of Tamil Nadu, said these were the attributes that helped him win the award.
"I'm extremely proud. There are so many drivers employed with Dubai Taxi…I'm very happy to be chosen for the award from amongst them," Rahman said.
He has lived in the UAE for the past 31 years and has worked as driver for two households before joining Dubai Taxi, 15 years ago.
His family — wife, two sons and a daughter — are all in India.
"When I mentioned about the award to them they were all very excited," he said.
He was also congratulated by Dubai Taxi for being a good driver earlier, he said.
"My manager nominated me mostly because so far there have been no complaints against me from customers. Also, during these years as a taxi driver I never caused any accident or got any traffic fines," he said.
He never thought he would ever be able to shake hands with His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. "That was a great moment for me," Rahman said.
"My heartfelt thanks to Shaikh Mohammad and to everyone who worked behind this award.
"People often pass by without a second thought and it is moments like this that make us proud of our job," he said.
Rahman's word of advice to everyone is to excel in whatever you do, without thinking of benefits, because every job had its own significance, he said.
