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Sharjah cabbies driven up the wall
SHARJAH— Taxi drivers in Sharjah are losing an average of Dh200 each day due to one-way passenger trips outside the emirate, private taxi companies operating in Sharjah say.
According to rules, a taxi driver taking a passenger from Sharjah to any other emirate, and vice versa, is not allowed to carry a passenger on his return trip.
However, franchise companies operating under the Sharjah Transport Corporation (STC) say that the STC and Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) have initiated a feasibility study on the issue.
“We are doing an average of five trips daily to Dubai and losing two hours minimum up and down,” explained Abdullah Al Sultan, General Manager of CARS Taxi. He said taxi drivers lost Dh40 in an hour, and an average of Dh200 was lost daily in five trips.
Al Sultan said that if a new system were in place, it would greatly benefit the customers. “There will be no refusal by taxi drivers to take passengers to any other emirate and there will also be no shortage of taxis,” he said.
“People complain that taxis are not available, but that is not the actual scenario as traffic congestions are also causing a shortage of taxis,” Al Sultan pointed out.
Mohammed Al Haddad, Chief Executive Officer of Advantage Taxi in Sharjah, however, said that proper electronic equipment were needed before the system was put in place.
“Before this study is actually implemented, all Sharjah taxis need to be equipped with the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) systems so that they can be tracked down,” he explained. He pointed out that the system would benefit customers mainly.
Ahmed Hamza, Operations Manager of Emirates Taxi, agreed. “We know that the option is being studied, but there is no go-ahead from the officials yet for the system,” he said.
Hamza said that both taxi drivers and passengers complain about the logical aspects of the system. “We have no replies. If the authorities allow it, we are happy to implement it as it benefits us as well,” he said, while adding that currently, the company faced monetary losses while complaints were received against drivers for not cooperating with passengers.
Officials from STC were not available to confirm the statements made by franchise taxi company owners.
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