Dh26m gift for Emirati taxi plate owners

Plate-holders who rent to Dubai Taxi are awarded a bonus by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.

DUBAI // Emiratis who own taxi plates are to receive a bonus from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
The owners of 6,597 plates are to share Dh26,388,000.
Families were awarded taxi plates many years ago, before Dubai Taxi Corporation was created.
They then rented out the plates to drivers. When Dubai Taxi was established, the plates were leased to the transport company.
In 2005, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) was created and it absorbed the taxi franchise.
Licence plates owned by Emiratis are leased to the RTA for Dh1,000 per month. The award from Sheikh Mohammed gives each family an extra Dh4,000 per plate.
The fees are a fixed source of income for many families.
The RTA leases the plates to six taxi companies for Dh3,600 per plate per month. The payment covers all fees for meters and dispatch.
Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of the RTA, said the bonus would help plate owners "better cope with the requirements of life and earn a decent living for them and their families".
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