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City taxi driver returns jewellery worth Dh1m

DUBAI - Dubai Transport Corporation and its three franchise companies may be receiving myriad complaints such as taxi drivers' misbehaviour or their refusal to take customers for short-distance trips, but there are a number of Good Samaritans among their ranks who will not think twice before returning items left behind the back seat of their cars.

One Dubai Transport driver would have been Dh1 million richer when a tourist left behind a bag filled with expensive jewellery inside his taxi. But the honest driver resisted any temptation and instead returned the bag to the owner who may have been frantically searching for his precious bags.

"On August 7, Dubai Transport Corporation received a call from an Arab tourist who said that he had left behind a bag which contained some jewellery. He was unable to give us the taxi's name and number. He just told us that the driver was wearing a blue shirt," Ammar bin Tamim, Director of Administration and Marketing Affairs, Dubai Transport Corporation, told Khaleej Times yesterday.

As a token of appreciation, the corporation rewarded the driver for returning the bag containing jewellery, which was estimated, to be worth Dh1 million.

Mr Ammar bin Tamim said: "The owner of the bag of jewellery was able to provide us details of the metre reading and destination, and through our Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system, we were able to identify the taxi where the tourist had left his bag. We immediately called the taxi driver of Dubai Transport.

"We asked him if he came across any lost item inside his taxi. It was only after having checked the backseat of the taxi when he confirmed that the item was still inside the taxi. He did not hesitate to drive all the way to Naif Police Station to deliver the bag to the rightful owner."

The police thanked the driver for his honesty and integrity. Dubai Transport Corporation, for its part, rewarded the driver with a cash incentive and a certificate.

Mr Ammar bin Tamim disclosed that for the month of July alone, a total of 126 items have been delivered by the corporation to the police station. Among the items include mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras, wallets, bags and jewellery.

He again advised the customers of Dubai Transport Corporation to note down the taxi serial number and identification marks located on the side of each taxi so as to contact the taxi in case they had forgotten their belongings. They can contact the dedicated phone line 04-2080888 for any lost and forgotten items, comments and complaints.

Honesty pays

DUBAI - In May this year, Abdul Muttahalib, a Cars Taxi driver returned a bag containing gold jewellery ornaments worth Dh35, 000 as well as passports and air tickets.

The items belonged to Houssein Moussa, a visiting British national who was travelling with his family from New Medical Centre to Concorde Hotel in Bur Dubai at 11.00am on May 23.

The Cars Taxi management rewarded the driver with cash incentive and a certificate. His photo was posted on the company's notice board to serve as a good example to other taxi drivers.