(MENAFN- Alghad Newspaper)
Getting to Downtown Amman from the Fourth Circle using Careem wasn't bad at all. The car was on time, the driver was extremely professional, choosing the best route to get around the traffic.
A young teller, at a bank in the morning, works as a Careem driver at night, in Amman, and says that he's making an additional JOD600 a month to cover expenses.
He spoke about all the requirements for the job, at Careem that is, chief of them is the clear criminal record certificate, and a car not a year older than 2015, to ensure a comfortable, safe ride for passengers. And of course, a drivers' license.
When asked about the yellow taxi drivers' intolerance and the public attempts to detain Careem and Uber drivers, he gave us a whole bunch of interesting stories.
Police would try to frame them and ticket them, this is on top of the violent confrontations with some of the yellow taxi drivers, to the point of physical assault.
On the other hand, using the yellow taxi wasn't as bad as it was made to seem, perhaps.
Finding a taxi was easy; coincidence would do it for you.
However, hygiene, was a major issue was the taxi cars we used, honestly; there's no comparison.
When the yellow taxi driver was asked about Careem and Uber, he did not hide his grudge.
He spared no allegations bringing them down to us; from being unlicensed, to not paying dues, he also said they were splitting their markets!
On another occasion, we found out this wasn't the view shared by all taxi drivers.
Other yellow taxi drivers said that all this fuss about Careem and Uber is not justified.
He said that hard working drivers are not affected by Careem or Uber's entry to the marketplace.
God will provide, he said.
The driver himself explained to us why so many people are engaging the new carpooling service companies via apps.
He said that many taxi drivers misbehave and have no professional code of conduct.
They overprice the trips sometimes, they're picky when it comes to picking up passengers, and they don't keep their cars clean.
The stereotypical view on taxis has long resided in the public's perception, and it takes a lot of time and effort to undo the image people have over the years.
In short, the point is, the public's tendency to turn to carpooling services via apps in Amman is nothing but a way to escape the difficulties of a deteriorated public transportation service.
For a long time, customers have been suffering the deterioration the public transportation service.
Hence, even though using Careem and Uber may cost a little extra, to say the least, people are going for it.
Why would they, some would ask; why would anyone pay extra for a service that already exists.
The answer lies in the details, as some would see it.
Some of the negative practices of some yellow taxi drivers could be the reason, no?
Eventually, the longer it takes to address the distortions of the public transportation sector, the more complicated it gets.
As the predicament advances, the more pressing the development of taxi and carpooling solutions become.
The more complicated the traffic status in Amman gets, the more the need for taxis, Careem vehicles and Uber.
The government's inability to reduce the quantity of vehicles inside the cities and outside, by providing other, practical solutions, the tougher it gets.
Figures say that nearly one million cars enter Amman every day!
Public transportation, all around the world, has become an indispensable component of the developmental infrastructure.
Advancements in public transportation and the ease of citizen flow throughout the cities has become a critical criteria in regards to measuring development!
This article is an edited translation of the Arabic version, published by AlGhad.
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