KUWAIT CITY - A majority of roaming taxi drivers refuse to use the fare meter and often charge exorbitant fares, say some passengers. This comes after a passenger, R. Gurushinge, was manhandled on Monday in Maidan Hawally by a roaming a taxi driver after he requested the latter to operate the meter. The passenger observed that he noticed that the taxi meter was not activated and immediately brought it to the driver's notice. "At this point, he began abusing me. I told him that I would report him to the police but he flew into rage. He then grabbed my collar and roughed me up. Soon, a crowd gathered around the taxi as better counsel prevailed and the tense situation was defused." Concurring with his views, another passenger, Nissar Ahmad observed that he was asked to get off the taxi when he asked the driver to activate the meter.
While admitting that most roaming taxis refuse to operate the fare meter, a driver, who requested anonymity, observed that some passengers were indulging in double standards and that on shorter routes they were demanding the use of meter and keeping mum about the same on longer routes. He said roaming taxis were now facing a bleak future as their number had risen significantly over the past three years and that most call taxis have now started offering roaming services thereby further compounding their problems. "Under the law, call taxis cannot provide roaming services but now it has become a question of survival for them. The minimum charge of a call taxi is KD 1.500," he added.
Bleak future
He added that it was not feasible for roaming taxis to charge customers based on meter readings. Citing an example, he said that roaming taxis charge a minimum of 150 fils and thereafter 50 fils for every kilometer. "Under such a situation, we will be able to earn only 650 fils assuming the taxi runs for ten kilometers while call taxis charge a minimum of KD 1.500. On a daily basis, we pay the taxi owners between KD 5 to KD 7 depending on the make and the model of the car. If our owners start charging us based on the meter readings, then we can also adopt the same practice," he explained.
Another roaming taxi driver said that his earnings have fallen over the past few years and that he used to make between KD 25 to KD 30, on a daily basis, but now he struggles to make KD 15. Last year, the government passed a law which makes reading and writing in Arabic obligatory in order to secure a taxi driving license. This move has shut the door on Asians as a majority of them are only proficient in spoken Arabic, he added. He observed that he was particularly careful while picking up his customers given his litany of problems with unscrupulous customers. "I try to avoid suspicious looking characters and especially if I see anyone carrying heavy bags as I have often found bootleggers using roving taxis to supply their merchandise." He added that roaming taxi drivers have come under the scanner of the security men especially after many taxi drivers were caught with alcohol and drugs on them.
Customers
"Securitymen subject us to intense security if we run into a check point. In a strange incident, one of my colleagues was arrested recently after a passenger he had picked up was found to be carrying home brewed alcohol. Though, the taxi driver had nothing to do with the incident he was locked up for days before he was released." He added that he never picks up young Arab boys and that he on many occasions was manhandled by such people. Narrating an incident, he said: "I was once beaten by four Arab men. The incident happened when I took to them to their destination and when I demanded my fare; one of them slapped me while another passenger threatened me with a knife. They then decamped with my earnings of the day."
© Arab Times 2008
