Cabbies capitalizing on Ramadan rush
Published: Sep 6, 2010 00:19 Updated: Sep 6, 2010 00:19
Passengers annoyed as taxing taxis blow big hole in their pockets
JEDDAH: It takes you no less than half an hour to get a taxi to travel from downtown to north Jeddah in the last days of Ramadan. If you are lucky enough to find a driver willing to travel that distance he will ask at least SR35 for a trip that normally costs SR15.
Sausan A, a mother of three, was exasperated after a recent trip to Jeddah’s historic center, known as the Balad.
“It is unbelievable,” she said. “I got stuck in Balad because my husband couldn’t get his car in and find a parking spot. I decided to take a taxi to my apartment. Fourteen taxi drivers refused to take me while another five asked for SR50. After over half an hour of waiting I found one (driver) who took me for SR30.”
One group of Egyptian pilgrims weighted down with luggage were trying to get back to Makkah by bus said one cab driver asked SR50 for the trip to the nearby station.
“How could they ask for such an amount?” said one of the pilgrims as she pointed to the bus station only a few blocks away.
When asked about this seasonal rise in prices, cab driver Ali smiled and said: “Ramadan kareem!” The implication being that people should be generous during Ramadan.
Bahar, another downtown cab driver, was more specific: it’s the traffic. “The time I need in ordinary times to drop three customers is the amount of time that I need for one costumer during Ramadan,” he said.
Cab driver Jameel said he prefers to look for customers in the Balad who are seeking short trips instead of taking people longer distances and then having to cruise emptier streets looking for customers on his way back to the downtown bustle.
Other areas popular with holiday shoppers experience similar problems with the taxi situation.
“I was waiting at Al-Haram shopping center on Tahlia Street, unable to find a regular price for a taxi,” said Sukaina, a mother of two. “They all demanded no less than SR20 for a trip home while I usually pay SR10.”
Some shoppers recommend doing these trips in the mornings while the city is still in sleepy mode.
“I go with my children during daytime,” said Ragad, who was running errands before traveling to Riyadh for Eid. “It is less crowded and I can get a taxi that will not demand too much.”
