Ire as cab drivers fail to pay for parking

Residents voice concern that many taxi drivers are taking up space in front of residential buildings for rest breaks.

Taxis are left illegally parked behind the Gems Winchester school in Abu Dhabi. Christopher Pike / The National

ABU DHABI // Scores of taxi drivers are taking up rows of paid parking space in front of residential buildings off Al Falah Street every day and rarely pay at a Mawaqif meter, residents say.

The drivers leave their vehicles for lunch or rest breaks, some with their hazard lights on, while others take a nap in parking areas near the restaurants.

“I think they need to pay for parking just like everyone else,” said Arnold Audal, 36, a resident of Al Furqa Restaurant Building.

“Although there are a number of parking spots in the area in the morning, it’s particularly tough at 7pm. You get home tired in the evening and don’t find a place to park.”

Most drivers parked in front of restaurants for convenience, said Samir Bchara, 63, a resident of Al Emlak Pastries Building. But he said cab drivers should not have to pay parking fees. “I think a 10-minute break is not long enough if they’re working long hours,” Mr Bchara said.

Mawaqif offers a 10-minute grace period when vehicles are parked legally.

This week, a number of Filipino taxi drivers were found taking a smoke break in front of Sizzling Restaurant and Sweets, Casa Pampanga, Batangas Cafeteria, while others gathered after parking their taxis in front of the Gems Winchester School.

Rosalio Alcause, 42, a Tawasul taxi driver of four years, said he and his colleagues frequented the area for their lunch break, but did not see the need to pay at the meter.

“We usually take 30 minutes. Sometime we pay when a Mawaqif inspector is in the area,” he said.

Standard parking marked by turquoise and black kerbs costs Dh2 an hour or Dh15 a day.

Drivers risk a Dh200 fine if they park without obtaining a parking ticket or permit.

A residents-only parking area for permit-holders is available between 9pm and 8am. Anyone parking in the area without a permit will be fined Dh500.

Pakistani and Indian taxi drivers usually have a quick lunch at Yasmin Sweets and Restaurant. They leave their taxis parked in front of the restaurant without parking tickets.

“Sometimes people are angry when we don’t pay,” said Syed Jamal Shah, 27, a Cars Taxi driver from Pakistan.

Sunil Negal, 29, an Arabia Taxi driver who works a 12-hour shift, said he and his colleagues used the parking lots for 10 to 15 minutes.

“We wait for our food order, which takes about five minutes. We eat for 10 minutes and then leave. We have to meet our targets, you know.”

Mushamil Khan Noor, 36, a fellow Arabia Taxi driver, said he was aware of the parking rules so he made sure that he did not exceed the 10-minute grace period.

“If I spend 20 to 30 minutes, I should pay for parking,” said Mr Noor, adding that a colleague was fined Dh200 last year for parking without a ticket or permit.

Officials from the Centre for Regulation of Transport by Hire Cars (Transad) were not available for comment.

A Transad call centre agent said taxis were not exempt from parking fees. “If a driver gets a fine, he has to pay for it,” the agent said.

An accumulated number of unpaid fines could lead to the vehicle being impounded.

Exceeding the time limit on the parking ticket, a Dh100 offence, or occupying two parking spaces with a single vehicle, a Dh300 offence, can result in the vehicle being towed if the owner accumulates more than five unpaid tickets.