Cab-sharing: No RTA ban on multiple drop-offs

Sharing of a cab in Dubai, with multiple drop-offs, has always been permitted, with the only consideration being that the taxi meter must not be switched off during the trip, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has reiterated.

The authority has had to repeat its long-standing policy in the face of an erroneous media report in one of the local news dailies that taxi drivers who allowed multiple drop-offs in a single taxi ride would be fined and could lose their job, as this was not permitted by the RTA.

The same media ran another report a couple of days later that the RTA had taken a U-turn on its policy after the daily ‘broke’ the news, and that rule has since been reversed by the RTA.

Yousef Al Ali, CEO of RTA’s Public Transport Agency, the section under which Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC) operates, clarifies that there was never such a rule to begin with.

“There has been some misunderstanding here. It was always permitted for passengers to share a taxi and to have multiple drop-off points during this journey.

“What is not allowed is to switch the meter off at these drop-off points. The meter should run for the entire trip and the person who is getting off last must pay.”

How the payment is arranged is entirely up to the passengers, he added. These passengers could be a group of friends, or commuters who had met each other on the side of the road and agreed to share the taxi.

When the initiative is taken by the taxi driver, this will create a problem. “The taxi driver is not supposed to act as a bus driver. He may not roll down his window and announce his destination, so people can hop on. We have buses for such services, and taxis are supposed to function as taxis,” said Yousef.

The single payment for a taxi ride would logically prevent taxi drivers from doing so, as the passengers would be required to board the taxi on consensus about the direction and method of payment.

“We have seen taxis functioning as buses in areas such as Al Ghubaiba and Sinabura. It does not happen a lot, but when it happens, it destroys the concept of transportation in Dubai. We are continuously trying to encourage people to use public transportation, a taxi should not form an obstacle to that,” added Yousef.

Last week, the assumption that sharing a taxi was not permitted caused uproar among commuters, who could think of plenty reasons why this should be allowed.

“As a single woman, when I am out late night, my friends make it a point to drop me home, rather than me travel alone,” said Meenakshi Thapar, a 31-year-old Dubai resident.

“It’s a safety issue that we abide by. But the idea of me travelling alone by taxi at 2am is not something any one of us is comfortable with.”

David R was worried over taxi shortages during live events, such as The Sevens or the Dubai World Cup. He asked: “What about during events? Concerts? The Sevens? Will everyone suffer with no taxis in the city because everyone has to ride solo as opposed to sharing a cab?”

As long as the driver specifies the rules regarding sharing a taxi, this practice is totally fine, said Youssef. He added that taxi drivers should be aware of the rules, because of training they receive from the RTA.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.