Taxi drivers welcomed Roads and Transport Authority's (RTA) decision to implement weekly break for them in the emirate. Some of them, who already got their break long due for years, said they feel recharged after a day's rest.
The move, recently announced by the RTA as part of its 64 initiatives to improve Dubai Taxi Corporation's (DTC) services and employee happiness, is also in line with keeping the roads safe. The weekly day off, however, is only applicable to those who are working under the DTC, including its airport taxi, hala taxi and limousine services. The holiday does not cover those employed by other taxi companies such as Metro, National, Arabia, and Cars taxi.
"With drivers well-rested, it will improve safety levels on the roads," said Dr Yousef Mohammed Al Ali, CEO of DTC.
Reacting to the move, Thomas Edelmann, director of RoadSafety UAE, said: "We all know how exhausting the traffic in the UAE can be and for sure, these drivers deserve to rest. RoadSafety is happy to see RTA granting them a day's rest."
The taxi drivers who spoke to Khaleej Times agreed with this observation and said the once-a-week holiday will definitely help them recover "both physically and mentally from the stress of navigating Dubai's busy streets."
Previously, most drivers work 12 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays, and they only enjoy a break when they go for their annual leave. Some drivers suffer from fatigue because of the daily work but for the first time drivers like Mohammad Saiful Islam, 30, from Bangladesh, has finally had time to recharge themselves.
"I already had a Friday off last weekend and I really enjoyed my free time," Saiful told Khaleej Times on Monday. "Finally, in my three years of working in Dubai as a taxi driver, I was able to spend almost the entire day to take a rest, talk to my parents back home in Chittagong (village in Bangladesh), and had time to relax with my roommates. I also went to the mosque to pray," he said.
"In my next day off, I've already made arrangements to play cricket with my friends," added Saiful, who starts his duty from 5pm until 5am the following day.
Another DTC driver, Sazib Ul Alam, also from Bangladesh, said the weekly off is really important. "It is needed because we (taxi drivers) are not machines," Sazib stressed. "Even engines need oil change so we too need to fully recharge our bodies."
When asked if the weekly holiday will affect their monthly take-home pay, since taxi drivers do not receive fixed salary but work on a commission basis, Sazib said: "It will not have much impact on our monthly income."
"Actually, working every day does not mean higher income. We work long hours and we are prone to accidents or sometimes we incur fines because our minds are not fresh and we lose or focus on the road," he explained.
"Having a full day to rest means we welcome the entire week with greater energy to work," added Sazib, who earns at least around Dh4,000 monthly.
A weekly off for taxi drivers will also mean fewer cars on the road, less traffic and less competition when we work, observed Ashique Abdul Azeez, a taxi driver from India.
"That will add to our productivity," added Saravana Kumar Pallpery, also from India. "Many drivers have been complaining that they can't handle it anymore to work daily. Now because we have a day off, we are happy."

source: Khaleejtimes