News: Penalty for Dubai cabbies who speed or misbehave

Cabbies in Dubai who misbehave with passengers or speed will get black points, a senior official of the Public Transport Agency (PTA) has told XPRESS. The new penalty system will come into effect on December 1.

“We want to ensure that Dubai taxis adhere to Roads and Transport Authority rules and regulations all the time. Each penalty will cost the taxi driver four black points. Cabbies who get 24 points in a year will be terminated from their services,” said Tariq Al Ghaith, Acting Director, Franchising and Enforcement Department of PTA, which is part of the RTA.

 First time offenders are sent a warning message on the meter and given 60 seconds to slow down.

“If they continue to speed, they get a voice alert saying: ‘You are speeding’. The alert plays three times. Taxi drivers who still don’t heed are fined Dh200,” said Adel Shakri, Director-Transportation Systems, PTA.

Second violations attract a Dh400 fine. Repeat offenders are referred to the RTA’s disciplinary committee, which could either impose a driving ban or dismiss them from services.