JEDDAH, 14 July — "Bills, bills and more bills," was all the aging taxi driver could find to say.
Imran Khan has been a taxi driver in Jeddah for six years.
"No one gives you respect in this country if you are a taxi driver," he continued.
On average, Imran has been robbed twice a year, and he has to put up with verbal abuse daily. Worse still, many passengers do a runner as soon as they reach their destinations.
"The conditions in which we have to work are inhumane," Imran claims, the frustration clearly evident on his face..
Most taxi companies charge the drivers who work for them a flat daily rate of SR130, and anything they earn up and above that they keep for themselves. Considering the fact that they have to pay for petrol, repairs to the car, their own medical costs and their exit/re-entry visas, there is nothing much left over.
"I spend SR60 a day on petrol," Imran says.
Some taxi drivers, like Imran, choose to buy their petrol on a monthly basis from certain gas stations, which allows them to make savings of up to SR30 a month.
The company charges him a flat monthly rate of SR3,000, a deal that has advantages. If a driver works this contract for three full years, at the end he receives a new contract where he becomes the owner of the car and must afterward pay only SR1,000 per month.
Are taxi meters in Saudi Arabia merely for decoration?
If the meters were used as they should be, drivers would get a decent income. But readers of Arab News do not have to be reminded that the driver faces a dilemma: What comes first, the meter or the passenger? If the driver insists on using the meter, he will lose his passenger to another driver willing to sacrifice his rights for less.
"Is this fair, the life I live, you tell me, is this fair?" Imran asks.
Another problem faced by taxi drivers is the constant abuse they face.
"Last week I took four young Saudis to Al Watani. They told me to pull over, jumped out of the car and ran off. I was shouting at them, telling them to pay, but they just laughed. Suddenly there was a loud bang. The boys had left firecrackers in the back of my car, and they damaged the seat," said another taxi driver who refused to give his name. More and more taxi drivers are falling victims to this kind of harassment, which generates an air of mistrust between the driver and the passenger.
The long hours taxi drivers have to put in to eke out a living add to their cup of sorrow. It is invariably 14 to 16 hours daily, with the work day beginning for most drivers at 4.30 a.m. In spite of the tedious work many of them have more days than riyals to count by the middle of the month. Gone are the good days when they used to make up to SR 3000 a month after expenses.
Another problem is competition. There are more taxis in Jeddah than there are passengers to rent them.
Their hardships are many. But they are used to them. What amazes a casual rider is the guys’ ability to take hardships in their stride and put on a disarming smile.
The most repeated story revolves around a woman who takes the drivers on a series of trips only to leave the driver in the end to disappear into a building or house, after refusing to pay. What can a driver do in such cases? Most drivers have a story like this to tell. Are they making it up?
