By M. Aldalo www.kippreport.com
Dubai taxis are becoming more and more infamous for their unreliable service. Are we alone in this?
You’re pacing back and forth, fidgeting and repeatedly glancing at your mobile screen. You’re nervous and desperately hoping to hear it ring but it never does. Chances are you’ve mistakenly relied on the services of a taxi in Dubai.
Initially, the customer service attendant mentioned that, at most, the taxi would arrive in 20 minutes. It’s now been 55 and you’ve started to mentally rehearse an elaborate excuse as to why you are late for work.
If you’ve ever stood for an hour or even two on the street, frantically waving at every seemingly available taxi you can find – only to have them wave you off and drive past, then you’re a victim of utterly unreliable transport services.
If you’ve ever made plans to wake up earlier than your body would normally allow you to – in hopes that you would beat the rush and catch the worm – only to again find that it made absolutely difference; then it is time to speak up.
Not to sound holier-than-thou and yes you may brush this off as a petty ‘first-world’ problem but the fact of the matter is there are thousands of daily commuters that rely almost entirely on the punctuality, professionalism, safety and availability of taxi cars in the Emirate. What they find instead is disappointment in all four areas and beyond.
This Kipper endures a minimum of two taxi rides a day and has done so for years. I am truthfully unable to recall a single pleasant or safe experience with a taxi driver here. Perhaps I have just been unlucky.
“Stop whining, Kipp, as long as it gets you from A to B” you might say but the fact is: it’s a lot more than that. More often than not, I walk out with a sore foot – having spent the entire journey pummeling it into my imaginary brakes and holding on for dear life. More info
