Cabbies break pick-up law ‘to meet targets’

Commission system drives them to take fares at illegal stops.

The increasing number of taxis on the road and illegal private cabs make it hard to find customers, says one taxi driver. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

ABU DHABI // Taxi drivers say the pressure of fare targets spurs them to break the law by picking up passengers at undesignated stops.

“If we don’t reach our target for the month, the company will shout at us,” said Shuhanur Rahman, 38, a Bangladeshi who drives for Cars Taxi.

“We stop anywhere to pick up passengers but we tell them to hurry so we won’t block the way.”

Mr Rahman works for about 13 hours a day and sets a Dh500 daily target to earn his 30 per cent commission.

Those who bring in Dh450 a day get a 25 per cent commission, with 10 per cent for those with daily earnings of Dh390.

Last month Mr Rahman was paid Dh3,000 in commission for bringing in about Dh12,300 in monthly earnings.

The increasing number of taxis on the road and illegal private cabs make it hard to find customers, said Ronald Aquino, 40, an Emirates Taxi driver from the Philippines.

There are more than 7,000 silver taxis in Abu Dhabi, six special needs vans, 220 airport vans, and 270 Mercedes Vito vans.

“When we see passengers waiting on the side of the road we normally stop for them,” said Mr Aquino. “We need passengers. We depend on them.”

He works from 5am to 5pm under a dual-shift system and said passengers often flagged down taxis at undesignated points along Hamdan, Electra, Airport and Muroor roads, instead of at taxi lay-bys.

The penalty for taxi drivers picking up illegally is Dh200.

As well as the fine, four black points are added to the driver’s licence.

“We’re very aware of the fine,” said Mr Aquino, who has a Dh281 daily target and earned Dh2,000 in commission last month. “It’s a matter of being alert and not getting caught.”

The traffic laws and driver training in Abu Dhabi is thorough and clearly states that taxi drivers should collect passengers only at designated zones, said Dino Kalivas, head of driver training at the International Road Federation.

Passengers who hail taxis on the side of the road are equally to blame, said Kawser Ali, 38, a Bangladeshi driver who works for Tawasul.

“We often get shouted at,” Mr Ali said. “They’ll complain if we refuse to pick them up from the side of the road. They don’t care if we get a fine.”

Taxi regulator TransAD was not available for comment.