(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Raynald C Rivera
DOHA: After doing brisk business during Eid holidays, taxi drivers are struggling to make ends meet with a decline in the number of customers due to closure of schools for summer vacation coupled with stiff competition from a thriving limousine service business, it is learnt.
Many drivers work on rental basis and are finding it hard to meet the quota; some have to pay more than QR200 to the company daily.
While Karwa has stopped the rental scheme, a number of taxi franchisees still follow the system prompting drivers to devise new ways to earn extra cash such as manipulating fare structures and negotiating with passengers for a higher rate which sometimes lead to squabbles and filing of complaints.
The past Eid holidays was seen by taxi drivers as a golden opportunity to earn more in preparation for the long summer break. 'I took advantage of Eid holidays by working doubly hard in order to compensate for the summer lull which I had already expected based on my experiences in the past,” said Sudeer, a taxi driver working with one of the taxi franchisees. The drivers say they have to tighten their belts at least in the next two months to ensure their daily necessities and the needs of their families back home are met, given the meagre money they earn.
Growing limousine service giving taxi drivers hard time
'It is almost impossible to raise the daily quota given the situation. I used to have school students as regular customers but now I have to rely on passengers waiting by the road,” Abu, another taxi driver, said.
There are also few passengers during weekends as people shy away from the scorching heat, he observed.
'People go out mostly in the evenings, so it is very hard for me to be working in a day shift ,” he added.
The growing limousine service business is also giving taxi drivers a hard time. Recently, expatriates in between jobs as well as those previously engaged in illegal cab business have started securing licenses from a number of rent-a-car and transport companies authorized to operate limousine service.
While this has been a boon to customers who now have more transport options, this has also worsened the dire situation taxi drivers are in, especially at this time.
In addition, limousine companies which exclusively operate at a number of malls and hypermarkets have also joined the fray. Illegal activities of some taxi drivers have caused many customers to prefer limousines service to taxis.
The Peninsula