By Staff www.emirates247.com
Car lifts, unregistered taxis, or carpooling against payment: these seem like the perfect solutions in the face of a young public transportation system. But they are not perfect – these services are illegal, and can land you with hefty fines and even a jail term.
Dubai’s Roads and transport Authority (RTA) maintains a strict policy when it comes to illegal car rides. “Motorists using private vehicles as taxis and those offering car-lift services will face fines and deportation,” it has warned in the past.
Second-time offenders will be fined Dh10,000. And those who commit the offence twice in a year will be handed over to the police and deported,” was the warning.
But this does not seem to scare away commuters from trying alternatives to public transportation. Car lifts, especially, are a popular service, suiting the needs of many who travel on a daily basis, but do not have a car.
“For me, it is a very good solution. My colleague picks me up on his way to work, and I pay him an amount of money per week to share the gas. It is a fair deal to me,” says H.K., a Syrian working and living in Dubai.
“I have a standard driver. I pay him an amount of money per month. And whenever I need him, I can call him to go wherever I want. He is reliable and will always come,” says I.K., an Indian man working and living in Dubai. More info
