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Dubai-Sharjah Taxis too
will Start at Dh20

DUBAI - The Dh20 initial charge will not be confined to Sharjah-Dubai taxis alone. Soon, taxis operating in Dubai too will start with a minimum fare of Dh20 while proceeding to Sharjah, Essa Al Dossari, CEO of the Public Transport Agency at the Roads Transport Authority (RTA) told Khaleej Times on Tuesday.

This comes a day after a similar announcement made by Sharjah Transport authorities, reported by KT yesterday. Sharjah Transport officials had told KT that starting December 1, all Sharjah taxis will start with a fare of Dh20 while going to Dubai. Dossari, however, did not confirm the date from which the rule would apply for Dubai taxis, stating they were still studying the details at the moment.

“We have been in the process of coordination with our Sharjah Transport counterparts about evolving a system which will be of help to passengers travelling between the two emirates. The entire mechanism is still being chalked out. We first need to make the necessary modifications in the taxi meters for this system. The date will be announced soon,” Dossari said.

In Dubai, the taxi meters start at a minimum fare of Dh3, and after 10pm, the minimum fare starts at Dh3.50.

Dossari said that the heavy traffic between Dubai and Sharjah was the main reason behind taxi drivers refusing passengers.

“Many a time a taxi driver spends almost half his day travelling from Dubai to a destination in Sharjah and back. Moreover, a Dubai taxi driver cannot pick up a passenger from Sharjah and vice versa.

“As a result, passengers intending to travel to Sharjah from Dubai are refused by most of the taxi drivers,” he said.

With the Dubai taxi drivers working on a shift basis and looking to eke out the day’s target for a decent salary every month, a drive to Sharjah easily gobbles up more than two hours on a normal day.

A taxi driver needs to make at least Dh300-350 a day to earn a decent salary at the end of the month.

“If I am on my way to Sharjah and get stuck in a traffic jam, it wastes at least two hours of mine,” said a taxi driver, who did not want to be named.

“The fare from Shaikh Zayed Road to Al Nahda in Sharjah comes to a maximum of Dh60. But I can make Dh100 in less than an hour in Dubai,” he pointed out.

joy@khaleeejtimes.com