It’s no secret that Dubai Taxis are far and foremost the most unpredictable rides in the world. I have used rickshaws, Parisian taxis, London cabs, tuk-tuks, and plenty of other means of transport including a hell of a bus ride in Johannesburg just two days ago. But Taxis in Dubai take the top spot in “Get cheap thrills, see your life spin before your eyes in seconds, and pray hard for your dear soul” kind of chart.
Today was the latest scare for me. I had hailed down this new looking cab and with what I discovered later on, a new driver in that new car. The guy probably only started driving in Dubai the day before. Once hailed I hop on and tell him where I was heading. His surprising reply was : “Cigarette me, one minute [insert head shaking and nodding]“. I was lost for words at that point and we hadn’t even left the place I hailed him down. I replied kindly (nerves already fuming, but kept it cool) : “Who’s the customer here ? Yes I am, I’m paying you for a service, you need to take me from here to over there. Khalas (always add some random arabic in your sentences, makes up for the lack of assertiveness), now drive !”. I looked at him straight into the eyes via the center mirror and I could see his unhappy face. How can you ask a customer to wait until you have a cigarette and then carry on with your duty ?
We were now strolling along Sheikh Zayed. People here drive like complete lunatics, lane-hopping like you’ve never seen before. In a wonderful world they’d be indicating, make sure no one pulls out before them and be careful about their driving. Well none of that happens in Dubai…. NEVER. We get used to it… pretty quick but today my heart jumped and I held the handles tighter than ever before. He took the long way home. I know Dubai, and how much it costs from A to B. I know shortcuts now, so there’s no way a Taxi can fool me around. And boy to I hate being fooled around. This driver took it way too far. I told him to take defense roundabout and then behind Shangri-La. But he grumbled and did his own thing. I see we’re heading for trade center roundabout, adding nearly 10 Dhs to the counter.
I went completely bezerck. I usually keep my cool and stay polite but this time was too much. Not only was he racing down the highway like a complete maniac, missing other Hummers and Cayennes by inches, braking at the last minute and making my ride a nightmare he was also trying to rip me off. I shouted at him to stop right there (Dnata Travel Center), he asked why… I told him he was a complete nutter and wanted to get out of his hell ride. I got off without paying him, I noted down his registration plate + taxi number and called the head office. A soothing filipino voice takes my call. I describe the ordeal and she takes note. A few minutes later I receive a text with a free ride coupon with a code.
Not only did I finally get a safe taxi ride home, I got it free ! A few tips when riding taxis in Dubai :
- Never say your destination until you’re in the car with the door closed.
- Make sure to know where you are going, landmarks, road names and how long it should normally take.
- Taxis are now exempt from Salik Road Toll charges and should not charge you for going over Garhoud Bridge or under any other toll gate in Dubai.
- Sit in the back.
- Do not be afraid of saying what is wrong.
- Open windows if needed.
- Have change in small notes if possible, if not and the driver asks you to make some change, tell him to go and do it himself or else leave the taxi.
Otherwise I came back from a uneventful layover in Jo’burg where I only ate and slept for the whole time. I was so nackered I couldn’t barely make the effort to take pictures. In actual fact, I didn’t take any. All I know is that they had a real nice Sunday roast with beef cooked to perfection, spuds, Yorkshire pudding and amazing gravy.
Flights were empty and the crew was amazingly funny. Had a great time onboard. I’m currently getting ready for my Colombo flight which leaves Dubai at 3 in the morning. It’s only a four hour flight, so it’s the perfect flight for me really. I will lounge around near the hotel pool and if the crew is nice, I’ll try to convince them to go and see the Elephant Orphanage…
In other news, I am having some issues with my webhost at the moment, resulting in fustrating downtime for the blog. It getting very busy at peak times and they’re asking me to upgrade servers to cope with the demand. But I’m having none of it since I recently payed for yet another upgrade. I’m currently battling with them so they grant me some bandwith and database disk space for free. Let’s see how far we can get. If not I’ll probably have to transfer webhost. Meaning I will have to move servers. It horrible to undertake and time-consuming.
Finally weather in Dubai is getting really nice these days. I’m enjoying my time out there in the sunshine… Stay tuned as I have some cool downloads coming up and more little boring stories to share !
Peace out fools ! Until next time…
LOL Les taxis sont vraiments un phenomene a part entiere !!! It took me a while to understand that I need to board then say where I’m going, or just be plain assertive and as aggressive and act as dumb as they act it themselves
Yeah lol. Being a right ass works wonders.
Wow, I wouldn’t dare do that to a cabbie! But I suppose that’s the only way to go around it!
“Never say your destination until you’re in the car with the door closed” is so true for taxis here in Sydney!
SHB : I wouldn’t either in ‘normal’ circumstances. But special events require special means.
So when did that taxi flip over? It’s amazing how everyone takes a taxi there all the time. Here to take a taxi is unheard off unless traveling as a group, so you can split the cost!!
Taxis in Dubai are the only reliable means of transport until the metro comes into service. And even then, it might be cheaper to take the cab… Riding the bus here can be exhausting. Never done it, but by the looks of the people getting off those things, it doesn’t seem like an alternative.
Never say to a driver that you are new in the city, he will take you to oman if he could fool you till there….lol
wish i read this earlier..
first day here i asked to go to City Centre Mall and the driver had no idea where he was going and charged twice as much as he should! fooool!!
You scored a free taxi ride? There have been times I’ve been so screwed over or angry I’ve taken down their details, but I’ve never called their customer service! Will definately be doing so next time…
BTW I love that pic! Your talent for dredging up the most apt stock photos is amazing…
Yeah, the only thing to do is be really angry over the phone. And playing with the newly installed feedback machines (only in some taxis, strapped to the headrest) seems to calm the drivers mental illnesses a little. They hear the beeps and start to drive smoothly, being courteous and smile… I’ve noticed that on every taxi ride fitted with the machine.
That’s why I always used Dubai buses, it’s better but anyway that sandpit will always be a shame.