A taxi ride may be the last thing many women in the Kingdom would like to think about, even in the most urgent and demanding situations. For female commuters, especially working women, taxi transportation can mean a bad experience comprised of the taxi driver's verbal and in some cases, even physical abuse. Only a fraction of such incidents are reported while the majority of them go unheard and are hushed up for fear of reprisal or due to the attached cultural and social stigma. A female passenger recalled her experience with a taxi driver: “I had an asthma attack, so I urgently took a taxi to the hospital. Watching me struggling for breath, the driver asked me why I was not with a male relative. I explained to him that I was in an emergency and had to get to the hospital immediately. Instead of being kind and humane, the driver began to ramble on and on in an uncivilized manner,” she said. In another incident, an Indonesian maid took a taxi to a friend's place. The taxi driver, on noticing that she was unfamiliar with localities, drove her to a distant place. When she tried arguing with him, the driver physically assaulted her. The maid didn't report the incident to the police under fear of deportation as she was an illegal resident. A Saudi Gazette team comprised of this reporter, a male reporter and a cameraman conducted a sting operation to expose the misbehavior of taxi drivers. The female journalist covered her face with only her eyes exposed. She was carrying a recorder and a spy phone. In the back seat: Their starting point was Al-Najjar Mall in Faisaliyah, a common place for women shoppers who are dropped and picked up by taxis. The female journalist took a taxi to the Mega Mall. The journey was safe and uneventful. The other reporter, who was following the taxi, noted down the taxi number. At the Mega Mall, the female journalist took another cab to Al-Kandrah's Yamamah gold market. This time, the driver asked for SR25; she argued with him in Urdu to charge SR15, which he accepted with a discontented face. While in the car, the driver adjusted his rearview mirror to have a better view of the journalist who was seated in the back right hand seat. He then asked, “You look like a Saudi but speak very good Urdu; are you a Saudi?” She lied to him that she was from Pakistan. He said that many women from the Sindh province of Pakistan have a Saudi look. “You also must be a Sindhi,” he enquired. She did not answer. The driver then played an audio cassette in the car tape recorder. It was a romantic Indian song which made this journalist feel uncomfortable. She text-messaged the reporter, who could also listen to the songs via the spy phone. The driver, even before the first song finished, began changing cassettes and selectively played songs which conveyed a dual sense. The journalist felt that it was a clever move on the part of the driver to convey a message which he could not have said verbally. “He never missed a chance of ogling from his mirror,” she said later. The journalist noticed the expertise with which the driver was choosing, rewinding and forwarding songs, an indication that he did the same with other female passengers. Ambiguously, he said: “If you ever need me, please call.” When the journalist asked what he meant by that, he replied hastily, “I mean for going anywhere…you just give me a call and I will reach your place on time.” He gave his mobile number, and then he eagerly enquired if the journalist had saved it in her mobile. On not receiving any response from the journalist, the driver meandered over varying topics in an attempt to start and continue a conversation. He said he had been living in the Kingdom for 11 years and earlier worked in a restaurant. It had only been a year since he started working as a taxi driver. It was probably a trick to get the journalist to tell him about herself. When they reached Al-Yamamah market, the journalist asked him to stop at the main entrance of Jeddah's Gate of Gold. When she offered him the money, he would not accept it saying, “Its ok...no need to pay.” This was the same person who had earlier demanded SR25 and then despondently agreed on SR15 for the drive. Upon the insistence of the journalist, he finally agreed to take the money, but not without a perverted intention, as while taking the money, he forcefully rubbed his hand on the journalist's hand. The money fell, as the journalist grew tense and nervous. The driver watched her with deep interest. The journalist left the car. It was now the male reporter's turn to travel in the same taxi. The male reporter was briefed about the female journalist's experience with the driver on the phone. He immediately flagged the same taxi and asked for a ride to Al-Rawdah District. They agreed on SR20. As they drove, this time, the driver did not play any romantic music. They conversed for a while about the taxi business, after which the reporter initiated a different topic. “How easy is it to meet women when driving a taxi?” he asked. “Very easy. Many women flirt with me because they don't want to pay,” he said. “Some women wear strong perfumes to get attention. When I smell twhe perfume, I know they are bad women,” he said. “So is any woman wearing perfume a bad woman?” this reporter asked. “Yes,” replied the driver. “Is it easy to get a phone number from them?” “Not from every woman, but you can always give her your number and tell her you can arrange to drive her anywhere she wants. If she calls back, it means she is interested. If not, it was at least nice talking to her and getting a whiff of her perfume,” the driver said. When asked if he had met any ‘success' with women this way, he said, “My wife and children are here, so all I can do is flirt and enjoy the few minutes they sit with me in the taxi.” What he said next was even more surprising. “I just dropped off a woman right before I picked you up,” he said to the reporter. “She didn't have enough money to pay for the ride. She tried to touch me and told me to take her telephone number and that she would pay me by some other means.” The journalist, of course, had done no such thing. She, in fact, had her face partially covered and was instructed not to do anything that would encourage the taxi driver. When the taxi arrived at Al-Rawdah District, the other car, now with the journalist and the cameraman in it, caught up to the taxi and blocked it. The driver was trapped. The perplexed taxi driver was then with the Saudi Gazette team. When asked why he did not take the money from the journalist, he said, “I thought she was a poor woman.” The journalist reminded him that before the ride she said she would pay him. The taxi driver had no answer for this or for any other questions asked by the Saudi Gazette team. The real issue: The Transport Ministry estimates the total number of taxis in the Kingdom at 75,000. About 30,000 Saudis drive taxis, but the majority of drivers hail from the Indian subcontinent. Women commuters complain of the foolish chatter of taxi drivers, which they say is an attempt to flirt with them. They say cab drivers vilify women by accusing them of false and lewd allegations. A bachelor lifestyle, tedious work, monetary pressures, low education and the daily acrimonies of road rage are among the reasons for the misbehavior of taxi drivers with female passengers. The psychological trauma results in anger and frustration, which makes them behave negatively, especially with women, as they are weak and easily controlled. Many women hesitate to mention their experiences with taxi drivers to their husbands, brothers and fathers, as they fear it will bring a halt to their job, education or any other activity. Male members of the family say they do not have the time to chauffeur their female relatives. Some women have private drivers but not all women can afford that luxury. Moreover, if a driver goes on vacation or in case of any other emergency, women are obliged to rely on taxis. Some consider non-Arab taxi drivers safe, while others believe that they are all the same. They say local taxis should have a separating window between the driver's seat and the back seat. However, what is required among taxi drivers whether Arab or non-Arab is a professional attitude. __
