Motorists relieved hike is smaller than expected

Dubai - Some motorists supported the move, while others felt they have not been given enough information about the reasons for the hike.

Mixed emotions were evident at petrol stations in the UAE on Tuesday following the Ministry of Energy's announcement that petrol prices would increase from August 1.
Some motorists supported the move, while others felt they have not been given enough information about the reasons for the hike.
Many petrol stations, including the one on Shaikh Zayed Road near Internet City, did not have unusually longer lines of cars waiting to fill up. There were also no banners or public announcements of any kind about the hike.

Dubai resident Noman Anwar said he had no objections to the price increase. "I really think it's fair. The price is based on a fair market. I don't see any problem with this at all."
Tanya, a Russian expat, said the price increase will be an inconvenience for her. "Of course this is going to be a big problem for me. That money adds up each time."
Pakistani Uber driver Ahmed Gul said the public has not been given enough information about the market forces the hike is based on.
"We don't know enough about these new prices. The price of oil in the world is the same today. I would really like to know more about why exactly this will be the new price ... ," he said. "I know nothing about it."
A few drivers who spoke to Khaleej Times had yet to hear the new official price and expressed surprise at the rate of the increase.
"That seems like a lot. This will surely have repercussions," said Taimur, another Pakistani national. "This ... probably (means) ... that taxi fares must go up. They just increased (the taxi fares) recently, and now they will have to increase them again."
Another Dubai driver, Malek, said he believed the hike in petrol prices would primarily affect the large SUVs that are ubiquitous on the streets of the UAE.
"For me and my smaller car, this is okay," he said. "The problem here is that Dubai is a place where many, many people drive big cars. They will be the people who will end up having to pay much more."
A British expat who declined to give his name said: "I'll be driving to Oman to fill up now if that's what it is. This is a bad thing."
Azhar Zia ur-Rehman, a longtime resident of the UAE, urged residents to not overreact to the announcement.
"Let us look at it logically instead of emotionally," he said. "The two major expenses for a family here are accommodation and education. If the government can bring these down, no one will mind paying the cost price for oil."
bernd@khaleejtimes.com

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