JEDDAH: There is competition brewing at the airport taxi stands with unlicensed drivers drawing the ire of the regulars for stealing their customers.
These independent cab drivers accost passengers inside the airport or as they come out of the airport by offering cheap fares to any place in the city or even to Makkah and Madinah.
The long wait for customers sometimes ends up with negligible earnings for the authorized cab drivers. The fare varies according to the distance. Sometimes if two or three passengers are traveling to the same district, then the fare is split. Invariably the fares are fixed for these areas, with the minimum being around SR50.
The private taxi drivers too use these tactics to generate extra income and their fares are much less than that set by the taxis in the stand. This invariably leads to many passengers choosing them in favor of the regular taxis.
The fact that the private drivers do not have to pay any extra charge to operate has angered many of the regular taxi drivers. They say that they generally bank on the high Umrah and Haj seasons to make some real money.
Homoud, in his 60s, said the private drivers are stealing our only source of living and that they have no right to do it.
“We come from early morning to pick up fares. We pay airport fees and other rent to park at the airport. It is unfair that these private drivers steal customers from us,” he said.
Most of the airport taxi drivers are elderly people who have retired from their jobs and are now looking for an alternative source of income to boost their pensions.
Ateya, in his late 50s, said they get no help from security or airport authorities to put an end to this phenomenon.
“Legally, these people are not allowed to pick up fares from the airport,” he said.
“They are not licensed to do it and also some of the cars are old. It is not safe for people to be transported in these cars, especially to Makkah or Madinah. When we complain to the police, they do not respond and they rarely interfere. If they do something they will just shoo them away at that moment and then disappear. As soon as their backs are turned, the private drivers are back in business.”
Ateya says that some police officers have even expressed sympathy to these unregulated drivers, saying they too need to make a living. “We also have bills to pay and we too want to make a living,” Ateya said, adding, “If they want to really make a honest living then they too should pay up like us, wait their turn like us and not steal customers from inside.”
