‘For us tipping helps, but it is not necessary’

One taxi driver said he did not want his passengers to feel obliged to tip.

Sunil Thampy, 36, from India, works for Emirates Taxi. Mona Al Marzooqi/ The National

ABU DHABI // Although gratuities are welcome, cab drivers say they do not expect nor rely on tips to supplement their wages.

“Occasionally, we get about Dh10 to Dh15 a day. But, on most days, we don’t receive any tips,” said Sunil Thampy, 36, a driver with Emirates Taxi for the past two years.

“For us, tipping helps, but it is not necessary,” the Indian expatriate said.

Some drivers say they saw a fall in tips almost three years ago, when fares increased.

In May 2012, the starting, or flagfall, rate from 6am to 10pm rose from Dh3 to Dh3.50 and from Dh3.60 to Dh4 all other hours.

At night, if a trip costs less than Dh10, the customer must pay the difference.

The minimum Dh10 fare after 10pm means customers taking short journeys rarely tip beyond that. Before that, drivers say, they usually got to keep the change.

“Very few passengers ask us to keep the change,” said Mr Thampy, who has two daughters, 8 and 13.

“But if we get Dh100 a month in tips, for example, it will not really make a difference, especially if we need to pay a traffic fine or a TransAD fine.”

Roshan Sherpa, 36, a Nepalese driver with National Taxi, said he and his colleagues did not want passengers to feel obliged to tip them, but would not decline if offered.

“Tourists usually feel that they need to give us a tip,” he said.

Mr Sherpa, who has a five-year-old son in Nepal, tries to make Dh450 in fares each day to earn 30 per cent commission at the end of the month.

For that to happen, he works 12 to 13 hours a day.

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Taxi companies should reconsider drivers' rosters to improve road safety while still giving cabbies a chance to reach revenue targets, experts say. Many drivers, on a basic salary of about Dh1,000, say they are behind the wheel up to 15 hours a day to bring in the Dh500 needed for a 20 per cent commission. Taxi drivers say they rely on the commission and do not expect tips – which is just as well. "Occasionally we get about Dh10 to Dh15 a day but most days we don't get any," said Indian Sunil Thampy. "Tipping helps but it is not necessary."

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