Dubai: Relatives and friends are allowed to get rides in Dubai as long as the private taxi drivers don’t charge money from them.
The emirate’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched a campaign to raise awareness among tourists and residents of Dubai about the menace of illegal taxis, reported Gulf News.
Notices have been put up at different locations near the airport and Rashid Port to inform people about the penalties for operating illegal transport, creating panic among many residents that giving friends and relatives a ride could put them in trouble.
Abdullah Yousuf Al Ali, CEO of RTA’s Public Transport Agency, however clarified that people are free to give a ride to friends and relatives without being worried about being penalized.
“If friends and relatives are to be picked up or dropped off from and to the airport, people will not be penalized. We have installed boards to create awareness among residents and tourists who are not aware of illegal transport operators,” Al Ali reportedly said.
According to the RTA, the campaign is aimed at protecting commuters and safeguarding their rights, which might be compromised by unauthorized taxi operators.
“RTA calls on all community members to shun the use of illegal or unlicensed transit means as they constitute grave risks to the security and safety of riders,” he was quoted as saying.
Any unauthorized pick-up and drop off of passengers in exchange for money is considered illegal in Dubai and the penalty for such an offense varies from Dh20,000 to Dh50,000, said the news portal.
The law and the penalties were revised earlier this year through Executive Resolution No. 6 of 2016.
The RTA reportedly confirmed that many individuals and firms continue to operate illegal transport despite hefty fines and the campaign is aimed at clamping down on their activities.
Highlighting the threats faced by people taking rides on illegal taxis, Al Ali said: “Riders of illegal transport are vulnerable to manipulated fare, bad treatment, immoral behavior, especially with women, or exploitation. Moreover, vehicles used in such activities are not subjected to periodic inspections, and lack the standard security and safety stipulations which would eventually undermine the reputation of the emirate.”
However, many motorists giving their friends or relatives a ride to the airport told Gulf News that the campaign has resulted in them being questioned by RTA inspectors and in some cases they are asked to prove their relationship with those they came to drop off or pick up.
Al Ali said that proof of relationship is asked only as a last resort.
“Our inspectors are trained to undertake an investigation by which they can identify any suspicious illegal activity through an individual’s behavior or body language and asking for proof of an individual’s relationship with his relative or friend may be one of the last resorts,” Al Ali reportedly said.
He added that if an individual feels that he is fined unfairly, he is welcome to take up the matter with the grievance committee at RTA by calling 8009090.
“Once a complaint is registered we will further investigate the matter and come to a resolution,” he was quoted as saying by Gulf News.
