A Taxi 'Queue' in a Northern Emirate
The places where I shop in Dubai have a taxi queue. This means that they have a security person there to ensure that there is, in fact, a Western style (or Russian style, or British style) queue.
At the main supermarket where I shop when I'm in a certain Northern Emirate, there is a loading area. Standing there are some families waiting with their shopping carts full of purchases while the driver (papa, mama, chauffeur, or whomever) brings the car. Also standing, mixed with the people waiting for a private car, are people waiting for a taxi.
The people all stand shoulder to shoulder as they wait. Like a typical Middle Eastern queue, the queue is about forty abreast and one deep. Taxis pull up to a random point along the line, and the four or five people closest to the taxi make a mad dash. Being old, fat, and slow, for almost two hours I was not the first to grab any of the arriving taxis.
A driver finally recognized me, and ordered his front seat passenger to squeeze into the back with two other young men and a young lady, forcing the young lady to sit in one of the young men's laps. He then offered to take me home for about €4, but I refused, so he reduced his price to €2, about twice the metered fare. But I took it. It was after 10:00 p.m., and I was desperate to get home.
In addition to collecting double the usual fare from me, the taxi driver also collected from his original passengers, who said they lived close to where the taxi dropped me off, so the taxi driver managed a tidy profit on the run.
At the main supermarket where I shop when I'm in a certain Northern Emirate, there is a loading area. Standing there are some families waiting with their shopping carts full of purchases while the driver (papa, mama, chauffeur, or whomever) brings the car. Also standing, mixed with the people waiting for a private car, are people waiting for a taxi.
The people all stand shoulder to shoulder as they wait. Like a typical Middle Eastern queue, the queue is about forty abreast and one deep. Taxis pull up to a random point along the line, and the four or five people closest to the taxi make a mad dash. Being old, fat, and slow, for almost two hours I was not the first to grab any of the arriving taxis.
A driver finally recognized me, and ordered his front seat passenger to squeeze into the back with two other young men and a young lady, forcing the young lady to sit in one of the young men's laps. He then offered to take me home for about €4, but I refused, so he reduced his price to €2, about twice the metered fare. But I took it. It was after 10:00 p.m., and I was desperate to get home.
In addition to collecting double the usual fare from me, the taxi driver also collected from his original passengers, who said they lived close to where the taxi dropped me off, so the taxi driver managed a tidy profit on the run.
posted by Dubai@Random at 5:45 pm
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