AJMAN // The Ajman Transport Corporation (ATC) has launched a taxi-sharing scheme to help low-income earners. Abdelkarim Abdoulaye, the general director of ATC, said yesterday many residents had been forced to walk long distances because they could not afford the high fares of metered taxis. "We are proud to be the only one taking prices down to suit the poor majority," he said. The taxi fare within Ajman will be Dh2 (US$0.54), while the fare to Sharjah and Umm al Qaiwain will be Dh5 and Ras al Khaimah Dh10.
Shared taxis within the emirate will apply mostly from Ajman city centre to Julfar, Zahara and theindustrial areas. Mr Abdoulaye said launching the taxi-sharing scheme to meet the demands of poor residents was the first step in solving the emirate's transport problems. Another major headache was the poor bus service between Ajman and Dubai, he said. There is only one bus service daily between Dubai and Ajman. It leaves about 7am and returns about 6pm.
Adding to the problem is the number of people working in Dubai who are relocating to Ajman because accommodation is cheaper. Ansar, who is staying with his brother's family in Ajman, travels to Dubai daily. "I wake up at around 5am and take a taxi from Ajman Rashidiya to Sharjah and from Sharjah to Dubai," he said. "The journey takes me about two hours and costs me Dh27. In the evening, I spend more than Dh30 to come back. All that is around Dh1,500, yet I earn only Dh3,000 a month."
Ansar said he was able to afford the daily fares only because he was not paying rent. Unlike other emirates, Ajman does not have a shortage of taxis. There are more than 3,000 metered taxis in the fleet and residents find it easier to hail a taxi in Ajman than in Sharjah. @email:ykakande@thenational.ae
