Use of trucks to haul workers banned

The Abu Dhabi Police has banned the use of modified trucks and pickups to transport workers. An Abu Dhabi police official told Gulf News yesterday that all establishments have six months to arrange regular bus services for their workers.

"The new regulation has been imposed for the safety of workers who are being transported between their camps and work places like herds of domestic animals," said the official asking not to be named.

He said the six-month deadline which began from yesterday, has been introduced under the directives of Major General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Interior Ministry Undersecretary.

"All modified vehicles have to be re-modified to their original shape within six months. Otherwise, these vehicles will not be registered or licensed, and therefore will not be allowed to ply the roads," he added.

The source added that all these vehicles after being re-modified would be allowed for the transport of goods only.

Earlier, local authorities had banned the entry of heavy trucks carrying workers in the heart of the city, forcing contracting companies to arrange proper bus transport services when entering commercial areas of the capital.

Commending the new regulation, an official of a cleaning company said they had been providing proper bus services to their workers for a long time. "Earlier, we did transport our workers in modified pickups, but as the local authorities restricted their movement in the capital, we switched to proper buses," he said.

However, the use of modified pickups and trucks continues in the outskirts of the capital as some of the companies have yet to be told of the new regulation.

A supervisor of contracting company in Mussafah said they were not aware about the new regulation, nor did they receive any circular from the local authorities.

"We have not heard of this new regulation yet. However, if it is true, then we have to comply with it. No doubt, we will switch to proper bus services, no matter how big a budget would be for the new vehicles," he assured.

Meanwhile, a number of labourers using pickup and truck transports, when interviewed, reacted positively to the new regulation.

Jayant Kumar, an Indian mason working for a construction company, said: "It is a relief for thousands of workers who are shifted from one place to another in huge trailers. Sometimes these trailers are so crowded that we cannot move an inch.

"Sometime we even find it difficult to breathe." He said that it is extremely uncomfortable to travel in these cargo trucks, especially on off-road tracks where the vehicles bump up and down.

Another worker, Mian Javed, from Pakistan, said summers are the worst times to travel in these vehicles, especially after spending hours of hard labour under the sun.