Passengers in the Emirate of Umm Al Quwain reported that many of the taxi vehicles operating in the emirate are unusable and charge unspecified fare, and their drivers intend to use them for mass transit, noting that oversight of the regulation of taxi vehicles in the emirate is absent. They demanded that taxis should be subject to control by a certain authority and that conditions be set for their work, as are taxis in the Emirates.
For their part, taxi drivers said that the vehicle's income does not allow renewal or purchase of modern vehicles, stressing that the fare is determined with the passenger and according to the distance covered, due to the lack of passenger availability in most cases, stressing that they are not subject to any regulatory authority.
On the other hand, the Deputy Director General of Umm Al Quwain Economic Development Department, Sheikha Al Shamsi, told «Emirates Today» that the aggrieved party should go to the department of consumer protection in the department to submit a complaint to take the appropriate action.
In detail, «Emirates Today» monitored in a field tour on taxi vehicles in the Emirate of Umm Al Quwain, the deterioration of the condition of some vehicles, the deterioration of the level of hygiene and the emission of unpleasant odors due to taxi drivers closing the windows of vehicles continuously without operating the cooling devices that are often broken, according to the drivers of those vehicles .
The citizen, Khamis Ghanem, said that the taxis in Umm Al Quwain lack the lowest standards, as the bad smell suffers due to the failure of the refrigeration equipment, which forces the driver to open the windows all the time, even in dusty industrial areas.
He explained that he boarded a taxi from Al Salama towards the old industrial area, where he was concerned about the danger of the vehicle, as the front tires were shaking because of their imbalance, as well as an unpleasant smell spread in the vehicle as a result of the doors and windows being closed constantly, and the driver ate the food inside the vehicle.
He added that there is no oversight by any government agency or private institution in Umm al-Quwain to regulate the work of taxis, which caused the randomness of taxi work and its lack of traffic safety and public health standards, explaining that vehicle drivers are standing randomly in roundabouts and in the middle of roads to load passengers Not indifferent to other vehicles.
The citizen, Salem Al-Jassem, pointed out that the delivery fare in the emirate is not subject to any supervision and there is no counter to calculate the fare in all taxis in the emirate, pointing out that the fare is subject to the mood of the driver and not according to the distance covered. He explained that he was surprised that the taxi driver loaded three passengers with him while he was going to the industrial zone, pointing out that the taxi driver did not respect his privacy and did not receive his agreement to load more passengers.
He added that a mechanism must be put in place to regulate the work of taxis, determine transportation fees, and impose a certain uniform on taxi drivers.
For his part, Mohamed Amin said that he asked a taxi driver to close the windows and operate the cooling device, but the driver rejected his request on the pretext that the cooling is broken, in addition to tearing the seats and the end of life of the vehicle. He clarified that conditions and criteria should be established for the work of taxi drivers, and to prevent non-conforming taxi vehicles from working in order to preserve the safety of their employees. Each of the taxi drivers, Ismail Khan, Abdullah Amir, and Asif Erzam indicated that the taxis in Umm Al Quwain are not subject to any government or private entity, and that any driver intending to work in the taxi field in the emirate needs to purchase a car whose price does not exceed 7000 dirhams and obtain The sponsor of a citizen. They explained that, given the low taxi customers in the emirate, transportation fees are open and agreed upon between the driver and the customer upon arrival at the specified location.
They added that their financial capabilities are few and they cannot use modern vehicles, noting that the driver's average income does not exceed 83 dirhams per day, and therefore he cannot renew his vehicle furniture or maintain refrigeration in the event of breakdown due to the lack of a financial budget.
Fare value
Taxi drivers in Umm al-Quwain said that the value of the fare is determined with the passenger and according to the distance covered, due to the lack of availability of passengers in most cases, stressing that they are not subject to any party and work with the approval of (the sponsor) who receives approximately 400 to 500 dirhams per month in exchange for approval For their work as taxi drivers for his warranty.
Residents demanding the suspension of vehicles that do not meet specifications.
• A passenger surprised that a taxi driver loaded three passengers with him without his consent.