Taxi Driver Online

Well here am I just back from my first (of many) visits to Dubai.

Expensive place to visit, but it helps when your son is an emirates pilot. He's living in a company villa about twenty miles from the City centre.

The one thing that is cheap is the Taxi's. Around 5,000 cabs around, plentiful, clean, and highly regulated. No independents. Drivers are all Indian/Pakistani, etc. Good-ish English, and Fair-ish Knowledge.

The Fares start at 3UAE Dirhams, (60p) with a minimum fare of 10 Dirham. The 33K journey from his villa to the Palm Island beach cost 64 Dirhams (£13!!) The drivers do 7 days 12 hour shifts, and live in pretty basic accommodation 4 to a room.

A government sticker in cabs over there has the usual wear your seat belt info, but one bit might worry a few here, including me, which states that "If the meter is not used, the journey is FREE!"

And the drivers are paid on commission, 9%, (yes nine) of takings. The meters are remotely connected to the office so they know a drivers takings.

An emirates pilot last year accused a taxi driver of "going the long way home" and refusing to pay ended up in jail for four days. What a wilf, the fare would have been about £9.

It was fun, but it's bloody freezing here now!

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Former taxi driver

I hope you kept your burk-er on at all time so you did not scare the natives

PS, dont shake his left hand they dont have loo role over there

If I'm thinking of the right firm they run on Sigitec.

So in reality the fare starts at 10 Dirham or have I misunderstood it

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

When I was at school 3UAE Dirhams which is 60p = £1.80. A minimum fare of 10 Dirham makes them £6.00, They aren't on a bad screw really.

You are correct which is £1.80 in UK ££££

The meter starts at 3 Dirham. If the journey is really short, as it may be in the 50 degree temps of summer, even if the meter reads 5 dirham, (it ticks over in units of 1:50) the punter is charged 10dirham, which is less than £2:00 The exchange rate is about 5:35 to the pound. So a two pound minimum fare. Clearer?

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Former taxi driver

A PH Barons dream.

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IDFIMH

How true.

Another strange thing was I was approached by a "taxee boss" shark when leaving the airport terminal building...

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Former taxi driver

Maybe they're allowed to do that there

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!