Perhaps the most telling moment for 31-year-old Emirati Khalid Al Ameri during a recent assignment — where he swapped his family car to drive a Careem taxi for a few hours last week — was during the company’s training session when one of their drivers asked, “are you allowed to do this?”
“I was dressed in a Kandoora and told him I’m becoming a driver for a day. And he seemed surprised,” says the popular Emirati social commentator.
“The funny thing is that as soon as he asked it, I knew he wasn’t talking about it from a legal perspective. I knew he meant, does your culture accept that?”
The UAE National says he hopes to challenge such misconceptions.
“One of my first jobs was on a ship, cleaning the deck and toilets, so I understand the value of labour-intensive work and I believe it builds character and responsibility,” he says.
“I carry this ideology that no work is beneath me and you should be proud of doing a hard day’s work. Honest work is never haram (forbidden)”
Ameri's initiative with Careem stemmed from discussions with Iman Ben Chaibah, editor of Sail Magazine, an English publication written solely by Emiratis.
“We work together closely, and Careem got together (with us) to discuss sharing-economy and this line of work, how to provide equal opportunity and jobs to expatriates and youth of the country,” he says.
“I took those talks with a pinch of salt, at first, but then the company suggested I take over for a day to drive home the message.”
Not one to shy away from a challenge, Ameri willingly ditched his Nissan Patrol for four hours to get behind the wheel of a Lexus sedan and drive passengers who had pre-booked with the app. He was followed by a camera crew to record the event.
After completing an induction where Ameri was given a run down of the app and the driver guidelines, he was slotted for an afternoon shift, between 3pm and 7.15pm, where he managed to pick up three passengers.
“The experience was amazing,” says Ameri.
“I forgot I was a driver and what the job was and drove around just chatting with them. I had a really diverse set of passengers. I had sisters who were born and raised here; a young Syrian man who works in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, who I dropped off for his lunch appointment and the editor-in-chief of a magazine, as well.”
He says after the passengers got over their astonishment, they began sharing stories.
“At first they felt different, but they were quick to say how good it felt. We forgot the cameras were on and talked about life in the UAE, things that can be improved and what it feels like to have an Emirati driving a taxi,” he says.
“I think they felt like this just wasn’t about getting from A to B, but now they were learning a little bit about the UAE that they wouldn’t get from someone else.”
aahmed@thenational.ae
