# Dubai taxis



## QOFE (Apr 28, 2013)

Is anybody else lately having issues with "creative" taxi drivers? It seems to be the norm from many of them now that they try to start the meter with 12 AED instead of 5 or 5.50 for road side pick up. 
My last experience from last night was one that automatically started the meter at 12 and then changed it to five after we complained. He said that " if customer get angry then I change" "and apparently he gives DISCOUNT". 
This chap was not fresh off the boat. He actually looked close to retirement age and had clearly been driving here for many years.
After I said we're not tourists he then pretended not to know the way and I had to give him constant instructions to avoid ending up god knows where.

I'm worried about the tourists though. What impression of Dubai are these "creative" taxi drivers giving them?


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## XDoodlebugger (Jan 24, 2012)

QOFE said:


> Is anybody else lately having issues with "creative" taxi drivers? It seems to be the norm from many of them now that they try to start the meter with 12 AED instead of 5 or 5.50 for road side pick up.
> My last experience from last night was one that automatically started the meter at 12 and then changed it to five after we complained. He said that " if customer get angry then I change" "and apparently he gives DISCOUNT".
> This chap was not fresh off the boat. He actually looked close to retirement age and had clearly been driving here for many years.
> After I said we're not tourists he then pretended not to know the way and I had to give him constant instructions to avoid ending up god knows where.
> ...


I noticed the 12AED start fare the first time last week, didn't complain that time but will start now if it is happening a lot.


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

Some drivers try it out ...

then either they get punished and word spreads ...

or they get away, and word spreads about that as well ...

and then, more and more drivers try playing around..


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## Chocoholic (Oct 29, 2012)

12dhs is the peak rate pre-booking fee. That's hugely cheeky.


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

Good advice - people must report them as the RTA will keep a note and take action if the driver 'has prior form'.


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## svgeorge (Jul 9, 2016)

I've noticed that if you hail a taxi on the roadside, the fare always starts at 5.. however a few times when i took a taxi at a mall/supermarket taxi queue, the fare started at 12.. i asked the drivers and they said they had a 'radio booking' for a pickup at this location which is why it starts at 12.. not sure how truthful they were about the booking part.


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## QOFE (Apr 28, 2013)

svgeorge said:


> I've noticed that if you hail a taxi on the roadside, the fare always starts at 5.. however a few times when i took a taxi at a mall/supermarket taxi queue, the fare started at 12.. i asked the drivers and they said they had a 'radio booking' for a pickup at this location which is why it starts at 12.. not sure how truthful they were about the booking part.


Yes, I've had that at MOE as well but apparently the mall have been ordering them. I'm not sure how truthful that is either. I've had too much to carry and just wanted to go home quickly so I have "coughed up" but I've witnessed many arguments.

Unfortunately I have not been successful in the past with my RTA complaints so I've given up on those...


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## notdave (Jul 11, 2015)

This has been a bit of a bugbear with me recently.

I regularly get taxis in the newly re-designated Barsha Heights (Tecom for everybody who's been here since before last month). There have been a spate of arguments with taxi drivers recently, mainly started by me.

M:"What's that 12 Dirhams on the meter for? I didn't book a taxi"
TD":"Ah sir... got a message..."
M:"Got a message for what? To just start stealing 7 dirhams from everybody?"
TD:"No sir, it's because of Mall of the Emirates and we're in Barsha"
M:"So... if I call a police man should I tell him that you are stealing money from me, or that RTA are stealing money from me?"

I have got out of at least 2 taxis over the last month.
Most driver reset the meter when they realise I am not a tourist and they are wrong.

I actually lodged a complaint with RTA at one point.
They informed me that the 7 dirham charge was a benefit to me!?!
I asked the lady to explain... but she refused to veer from the script she was obviously reading.
My case was (apparently) closed satisfactorily...
Not sure if my feedback made it to them, but it was pretty frank and disparaging.

So... I'm not sure what is going on with this at the minute.
I mean, it isn't like 7 dirhams is the end of everybody's world. They try to pull this, while all the time, there in the taxi, for all to see sits the tariff sheet... explaining that random roadside pick-ups start at 5 dirhams. It might only be an extra 7 dirhams, yes... but it is my 7 dirhams, twice a day 5 days a week + sundry journies.

I believe the mall excuse/reason is that at peak times, the mall order more taxis... because... erm... there are no taxis in the taxi rank... So, in some way, these qualify as "pre-booked". (My understanding of how a taxi rank is supposed to work is obvioiusly confused!)

So as to whether it is RTA trying to sneak in a price rise... or it is the drivers trying to cheat the uninitiated... I'm not sure.

I will continue as I am... arguing with them and threatening to ask a policeman.

Between that and the drivers that claim to have been here for 10 years but don't seem to know the way between any 2 neighbouring neighbourhoods without having to be given explicit turn by turn directions to avoid going on a 5-10 km detour via the desert, or Jebel Ali... and/or SZR.

:frusty:


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

Hi,
Maybe this will help?

Cameras to put eye on taxi drivers in Dubai | GulfNews.com

Certainly we don't see this sort of behaviour in Abu Dhabi - where all taxis are equipped with cameras for past year.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi tell me that if a customer complains about them - they are "fined" and have this deducted from their salary.

Cheers
Steve


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## SamQS (Aug 15, 2012)

I have noticed this only once when I had to get a taxi on a roadside - sometimes i simply forget to check the meter. It is good to obtain a receipt from the taxi driver always in case of such incident happens (or if you forget something) so you have all the details. Tried to complain something regarding a taxi few years back, it was hard to explain the incident to the representative.

Apart from that when I have visitors (tourists) traveling by taxi i felt that although the passengers explain the directions correctly the taxi drivers tend to chose a longer route / route with high traffic when they realize the passengers are tourists. (some of my friends have experienced the same thing). 

I think Taxi drivers do not get a salary but a commission based on their daily earnings.


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

SamQS said:


> I think Taxi drivers do not get a salary but a commission based on their daily earnings.


Ever heard of a taxi driver that did get a salary ?

The taxis have a fixed rate per day and above that, the money belongs to the driver. the colour of some of the cabs roofs also indicate how much they have to earn before they get paid. there are high and low target colours, and for the lower targets, the driver has to 'buy' to get the cab for that day.

or so a driver told me - his target was 500Dhs per shift but this was a couple of years ago.


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

twowheelsgood said:


> Ever heard of a taxi driver that did get a salary ?
> 
> The taxis have a fixed rate per day and above that, the money belongs to the driver. the colour of some of the cabs roofs also indicate how much they have to earn before they get paid. there are high and low target colours, and for the lower targets, the driver has to 'buy' to get the cab for that day.
> 
> or so a driver told me - his target was 500Dhs per shift but this was a couple of years ago.


Hi,
The roof colours indicate the owning company of the taxis (for red, blue, green, yellow, orange and gold) black is for the pre-booked Hala and Pink is for the ladies!
Don't think roof colour has much to do with drivers salaries - other than possible different pay schemes between each taxi owning company!
Cheers
Steve


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## Roxtec Blue (Jan 14, 2013)

twowheelsgood said:


> Ever heard of a taxi driver that did get a salary ?
> 
> The taxis have a fixed rate per day and above that, the money belongs to the driver. the colour of some of the cabs roofs also indicate how much they have to earn before they get paid. there are high and low target colours, and for the lower targets, the driver has to 'buy' to get the cab for that day.
> 
> or so a driver told me - his target was 500Dhs per shift but this was a couple of years ago.


Looks like another Dubai urban myth. Colour is showing the operators, other than pink for a "Lady Taxi" and Black for Hala only pre booked.


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## sghkdub (Aug 5, 2016)

I thought there is minimum charge of AED12 for a taxi in Dubai. This has always been my experience. In which case I have no idea what the AED5 flagfall is for.


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## QOFE (Apr 28, 2013)

sghkdub said:


> I thought there is minimum charge of AED12 for a taxi in Dubai. This has always been my experience. In which case I have no idea what the AED5 flagfall is for.


Yes, the minimum fare is 12 AED so if the metre shows let's say 10 AED at the end of the journey you still have to pay 12 AED.

We were talking about the *start *fee. That should be 5 AED ( or 5.50 AED night time) unless it is a booked one.

If one constantly get charged 12 AED as a start fee instead of 5 AED it does add upp, especially if one is a regular user.

These should clarify further:
Dubai taxi fares increased again within 12 months | GulfNews.com
https://7days.ae/new-rise-in-dubai-taxi-fares


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