DUBAI, 7 January 2007 — On the first of January, Dubai residents — especially women and families — were ecstatic to see something new: Women taxi drivers in new pink-rooftop-colored taxis.

According to Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA), the women taxi drivers are in great demand. For the time being the service is operating with 100 trained women drivers driving 50 vehicles but only in the city of Dubai. The authorities hope to extend the service to other parts of the Emirates in the near future.

The women taxi drivers are the perfect solution for women who do not drive and are forced to use taxis. Like Saudi Arabia and many other Arab countries, the Emirates has similar traditions and so women-operated taxis are highly popular among families who feel more comfortable if their women ride in taxis driven by other women.

Nourah Al-Mulla, the head of administrative affairs and public relations at RTA, told Arab News: “We wanted to offer something that many families here would feel secure and comfortable in using and thus we thought of this service.”

According to Al-Mulla, female taxi drivers have undergone intensive training in how to deal with women and children, how to behave in emergency situations and how to maintain their vehicles.

The taxis are available seven days a week and can be booked by dialing 04-2080808. In addition, the taxis can be found at places that women frequent such as major shopping centers and hospitals.

Al-Mulla highlighted the fact that prior to launching the initiative, there was positive feedback from market surveys. “Thank God, the positive responses about the service came not only from Arab women but also from foreign women who said they would be happy to be driven by a woman,” she said.

Al-Mulla added that the majority of the women drivers know enough Arabic to be able to communicate with customers who speak only Arabic. “In addition, the women also speak English and whatever their native language is. The job is not just limited to women of a single nationality; we have Indian, Filipino and Iraqi women,” she explained.

In conformity with Islamic culture that calls for employers to be sympathetic to female employees, women taxi drivers work 10-hour shifts — either from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. or from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. while their male counterparts work 12 or even more hours per day.

According to Muhammad Al-Mulla, CEO of the Public Transport Agency at RTA, the new service provides transportation for women who wish to be mobile and is in line with the RTA’s vision of reaching out to all sectors of society. Al-Mulla added that this was the first stage in developing an integrated system of transport to consolidate the position of Dubai on the international map.

The next question is whether male taxi drivers feel intimidated by women taxi drivers. Most say they do not and welcome the new idea. An Indian taxi driver said that having women taxi drivers was a brilliant move. “The taxi drivers are of different nationalities just like Dubai. It makes communication so much easier and much more comfortable for people who want to use such services,” he said, adding, “They just have to take good care of the cars and ensure they are in excellent condition. Taxis are regularly checked. I’m sure women won’t have a problem with that. They are always good at keeping things clean.”

A Pakistani taxi driver said: “The pay is good and the working hours are better so I suppose it is a decent job. I don’t know about the women but our salaries begin at 2,000 dirhams with commissions per month.” He also mentioned that because all taxis are owned by five companies in the Emirates, which all run under RTA supervision, taxis in the Emirates all follow the same rules and regulations which are fair for all regardless of whether the taxis are driven by men or women.

“We do not get our pensions, but we get our commission instead at the end of the month. Those who work harder get better commissions unlike those who sleep while on duty or take too many breaks while at work,” he added.