By Shafaat Shahbandari, Staff Reporter www.gulfnews.com
Dubai: A technical glitch with the Salik system is adding to the misery of taxi passengers as they are made to pay toll charges even if the taxis don’t pass through the gates.
Already miffed by the re-introduction of Salik toll charges on taxis, most passengers taking the slip road adjacent to the Al Barsha toll gate near the Mall of the Emirates on Shaikh Zayed Road are charged an additional Dh4.
Several Gulf News readers complained that they have had to pay the toll when the taxis they were riding on passed through the Al Barsha service road even though they didn’t pass through the Salik gate.
“I have been charged toll more than once while riding on a taxi on the service road next to Al Barsha toll gate. When I asked the cab driver he had no answer and I had to pay Dh4 extra, which is ridiculous,” said an irked resident.
At least four taxi drivers confirmed to Gulf News that they have experienced this issue since the re-introduction of toll charges on taxis and have had to fight with passengers.
“There is a problem, which needs to be fixed soon, otherwise customers will continue to think we are cheating. I understand the plight of the passengers and it is difficult to convince them that it is not our fault,” said Yaqoub, a Dubai Taxi Driver. More info
