IN Dubai recently, I was happy to observe that commuting inside the city was easy and convenient. Taxis are easily available and have meters that display charges, distance and the time covered by the vehicle.

The drivers are uniformed and their name and photographs are displayed in the car at an easily observable spot. This way, in case of an accident, the driver can be easily traced. Moreover, the cab drivers I came across did not accept tips, because, according to them, they received a daily commission.

The cabbies were also not allowed to refuse passengers regardless of their destination, and could not jump queues at malls or airports.

All this was in total contrast to happenings in Pakistan where rickshaw and taxi drivers appear to work without any consideration of passengers’ safety, and charge exorbitant amounts, while behaving quite rudely. The passengers are totally dependent on the mood of the driver and one has to sometimes plead with the rickshaw and taxi drivers to take them to the desired destination.

I would suggest that the authorities concerned should emulate the taxi system that is followed by a number of countries around the globe instead of leaving people at the mercy of the transport mafia.

Akber D. Vazir
Karachi

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2022