Anybody who uses taxis, even on an occasional basis, will have sensed unease at one point at the behaviour of the person behind the wheel. As the recorded warning regularly reminds them – and us – cab drivers often break the speed limit. They also tailgate, brake suddenly and change lanes without signalling. They receive, or make, phone calls while they are driving, and sometimes they even drift off to sleep. Of course, bad driving is not restricted to cabbies, but these people are professional drivers whose job is to convey paying passengers to their destination safely and efficiently. Too often they are distracted or suffering fatigue due to long hours of work driven by the pressure of meeting financial targets.
While working conditions and compensation models differ between emirates and taxi companies, many drivers in the UAE work shifts of 12 or more hours because they are required to take as much as Dh450 a day. Others work even longer hours because they become entitled to extra commission after exceeding their targets. Days off are rare, or non-existent in some cases, and drivers can go two years without a holiday. If information provided by drivers to The National is correct, many of them are working in contravention of the UAE Labour Law, which mandates a maximum six-day working week and restricts daily work to eight hours unless overtime is paid at a set rate.
The report in The National yesterday that the Road and Transport Authority in Dubai is reviewing the hours worked by taxi drivers is very welcome. It's an exercise that should be replicated across the country.
The current situation is obviously bad for the drivers’ personal health and well-being, but it should also be a serious concern for the rest of us. The bottom line is that taxi drivers are constantly under pressure – and that means that they must remain on the road regardless of their physical or emotional state. This endangers everyone who catches a taxi, and every motorist and pedestrian who uses the roads. People who drive taxis – or operate any other dangerous machinery – must have sufficient sleep and relaxation time. Technology exists to ensure that they do not work excessive hours, and it should be used. It is up to taxi companies to find a business model that compensates drivers fairly without forcing them into unsafe practices. If that means raising fares, which are low by developed-world standards, so be it. A few dirhams could save a life.
