THE taxicab industry in the Kingdom is witnessing major chaos due to the large number of vehicles deployed by operating companies and frequent violations committed by cab drivers, Al-Riyadh Arabic daily reported. Cab drivers, notorious for rash driving and flouting of traffic laws, cause accidents and jams and many people say authorities should build parking areas for taxis near hospitals, universities, malls and other popular places all over the country to limit the number of drivers roaming on the streets. Abdullah Al-Aqeel, deputy chairman of Shaqra Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said a cab driver's behavior reflects a good or bad image about the country. Cab drivers, he argued, are ambassadors for the country they work in. “Currently, this market is disorganized. Drivers still have to look for customers on the streets and alleys. They randomly select streets and roam searching for customers. By doing so, they pollute the air with the smoke emitted from exhaust pipes and increase the likelihood of a traffic accident occurring,” Al-Aqeel said, while adding that there should be a call service to meet customers' needs and regulate the market. Khalid Al-Humood, educationist, complained about the traffic congestion caused by taxi drivers. He said the industry should be heavily regulated in order to limit the number of traffic related problems caused by taxis. “Look at Riyadh and see the immense number of taxicabs roaming the streets on a daily basis. There are not enough parking areas or stop stations to handle the huge number of taxis in the city,” Al-Humood said. He suggested that more buses should be provided to offer shuttle trips to and from places like King Saud University, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, King Khalid International Airport and major government buildings. Muhammad Al-Sinan, executive director of the trainee fund at the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation, said taxicabs in most countries are driven by citizens of those countries while here in the Kingdom, most drivers are Asian expatriates. “If Saudis work as taxi drivers, they will make a good income every month. Most companies operating taxicabs require a cabdriver to make between SR140-SR150 a day, which means a company can make as much as SR4,500 a month from each driver while a cabdriver can earn nearly SR7,000. A Saudi taxicab driver cannot currently make this amount of money because the market is controlled by expatriate drivers who are willing to work up to 15 hours a day or more,” he said. Al-Sinan accused taxi drivers of conspiring with one another to charge high fares even though gas prices are very low in the Kingdom. Because expatriate taxi drivers need to make enough money to pay their companies and also save some for themselves, they work long hours and seven days a week. Most are exhausted, sometimes lose focus on the road and end up causing tragic accidents. Taxi operators should change the policy of requiring drivers to meet a daily set amount. Instead, companies should pay the driver a monthly salary or take a certain percentage of the money he makes, Al-Sinani said. The current policy forces drivers to work more and longer hours in order make enough money. Saeed Al-Bishri, a businessman, said taxi drivers should attend training courses that will show them how to take a service call from a customer and how to get to their destination in the shortest time possible.
