Harassed female Dubai taxi passenger? Complain here

Hailing a cab can sometimes be a challenge, at least for some female passengers. From finding a cabbie willing to drive to your destination, to ensuring he drives (safely) without chatting up about one’s personal life, there are numerous issues women need to tackle during their journey.

“You seem to have good taste in jewellery, will you come to shop for my child?” a cabbie asked his female customer, suggesting he’d pick her up at a time convenient for shopping.

It probably was harmless, with the driver backing off as soon as she said no, but the incident highlights how some cabbies engage in such tactics, making the drive uncomfortable for single women passengers.

Many female passengers say that they’ve been asked about their marital status and whether they ever intended to have kids, and if so, how many.

“I just don’t understand how they can get so personal. It’s either about marriage or about kids. With the men eventually dishing out words of wisdom,” stated Kristina D’Souza, a regular commuter.

Apart from the personal stuff, some drivers are plain unhelpful.

Nisha, a regular on the cab circuit, complained about how she had to lift all her shopping bags from the boot of the cab, despite asking the driver to give her a hand.

“He just refused and instead advised me to eat and drink well so that I could lift things without asking for help,” she recalled.

In fact, she insisted that she has encountered many tacky situations in the past, with some even passing rude comments. When she threatened to complain, the driver prompted her to do so.

In fact, Nisha highlighted how the taxi rulebook suggests that cabbies do not talk to their customers during the journey.

Emirates 24|7 randomly polled women, some of whom stated that female passengers are sometimes taken on longer routes and some are even asked to step out of the cab because the driver is picky about the destination. “I find it tough to get a cab to Meena Bazaar,” claimed Neeta, adding that often she has been asked to get out of a cab because the cabbie doesn’t want to go there.

Some complained of stuffy, smelly interiors, claiming many drivers refuse to turn on the air-conditioning.

“I don’t understand why they don’t put on the a/c... the entire cab stinks,” said Shruti, a PR executive.

Official Advice: Complain

When Emirates24|7 contacted Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC), officials pointed out that passengers must bring it to DTC notice if they are unhappy with the service provided.

“The client can complain by dialling 8009090,” informed Mansoor Al Falasi, Director of Resources and Support Department and Head of Complaints and Suggestion Committee.

“The message is then forwarded to Customer Relations Management “CRM” with details of the trip like car side number, type of complaint, date, time, location, meter cost, and bill.

“Following this, an SMS is sent to the customer with the number of their case for follow-up and final results.”

Once the complaint has been registered, the DTC customer services office will verify whether the information given is right or not.

“We (also) look at the driver’s history of fines and complaints, and we see if it is a repeated issue,” added Falasi.

“If not, the driver will be verbally warned and guided to proper methods, otherwise the driver would be subject to our internal disciplinary policies, which might be training, written warnings, or [wage] deductions.”

The Road Transport Authority (RTA) is in sync with DTC’s customer initiative.

Once a complaint is filed, the RTA then investigates the case. The driver is questioned and depending on the findings of the investigation, a penalty is levied accordingly.

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