Mohammed N Al Khan www.thenational.ae
DUBAI // If you are ever on a bus between December 2nd Street and Dubai Creek, keep a sharp eye out for Hamad Al Jallaf.
The RTA bus inspector patrols Bur Dubai, Al Mankhool, Al Raffa, Karama and Al Jafiliya – known as Area 4 – eight hours a day, five days a week.
Every morning he puts on his beige uniform and gets out his portable card reader that allows him to check passengers’ Nol cards in seconds.
On this day, Mr Al Jallaf’s reader alerts him to a breach of rules at a stop in Al Jafiliya.
After inspecting a card, he asks a Filipina passenger for her ID and tells her to leave the bus and wait for him at the stop while he finishes his inspection.
Sara Mamadra, 31, waits nervously by the bus stop shelter. The card reader showed that she had checked out 10 minutes before arriving at that stop.
When Mr Al Jallaf approaches, she pleads for clemency, insisting it was a mistake.
But there’s no arguing with Mr Al Jallaf’s card reader, which shows she checked in correctly and checked out five minutes later without exiting the bus.
The mistake will cost the housemaid Dh200. More info