MAKKAH: Tow truck drivers do not live easy lives. On call 24 hours a day, they often sleep on the streets. Frequently accused of exploiting car owners who have damaged or disabled vehicles, tow truck drivers say they only charge normal prices and never take advantage of people whose cars may be unserviceable because of accidents.

Arab News visited the industrial area of Aziziya in Makkah where tow truck drivers gather. The drivers sleep on the streets and come with coolers, beds, fans and small pieces of furniture. They say they bear the heat of the sun, the cold of the night and sometimes rain just to make a living.

Muhammad Al-Otaibi, a 27-year-old Saudi tow truck driver, said he bought his tow truck on installments. “I pay SR2,000 every month in addition to other expenses. I am on call all the time and so sleep on the street next to my truck in order to make as much money as possible,” he said. “Earning SR2,500 a month is not easy. It is true that we take advantages of crises such as floods to make money. However, this is just like other businesses. Airlines increase their fares during holidays,” he added.

Saud Al-Juaid, a 21-year-old Saudi, said it was unfair that people accused tow truck drivers of charging exorbitant prices. “There are many trucks on the street and tow truck drivers will not risk losing customers by increasing the price to an unacceptable level unless it rains or the driver is in a remote area,” he said.

Al-Juaid has been driving tow trucks since he was 14. He dropped out of school to drive. “The income is not steady. I normally earn between SR2,000 and SR3,000 a month. In peak season, it could reach SR5,000,” he said.

Al-Juaid said that this line of business had its own risks and that one needed to be sharp. He recalled how two years ago a well-dressed Saudi asked for help to open his car as he had left his keys and wallet inside. “He then told me to tow the car to a repair shop close by. He told me he was a municipal official with good connections,” he said.

“I asked him if he could help me find a job at the municipality and that I would tow his car for free. He agreed to help me find a job and I towed his car to a repair shop and then broke its window to get his wallet and keys out,” he said. “He then said he would go to a spare part shop to buy some parts to repair the car. He disappeared and I haven’t seen him since. The car was left at the repair shop. It turned out that he was a thief and that he used me to commit a crime,” he said.

Basheer Ahmad, 55, transformed his tow truck into a moving home. “People cannot object to the prices we charge; we’re charging for the time we spend on the streets, the long hours in the sun and the risks we take,” he said.

Ahmad said tow truck drivers often face strange and humiliating situations. “I remember once receiving a call about a broken car on the side of a road. The owner did not have the car’s papers with him and told me they were at home and on that basis, I towed the car,” he said.

“On the way, the police stopped us and when they asked for the papers, the man told them he had left them at home. The police held me for five hours until the man brought the papers,” he said.

“Once an old man and his wife insisted on sitting inside the car while I was towing it. I tried to explain that it was illegal but they did not want to listen saying they needed the air-conditioning,” he said. “The police stopped us later and when questioned, the man said I hadn’t told him it was illegal.”