A new taxi company known as Marhba has been recently introduced. The company started to rival Raha taxi which was introduced before more than two years ago. Both companies are owned by senior Yemeni businessmen.

The services provided by both companies are different from those offered by old taxi drivers. A customer only orders the service after telling the details of his address, the company’s operations room and through a telecommunication web, contacts its closest driver to go to the address and pick you to your intended destination. 

Both companies introduced the latest models of vehicles and fixed meters on them to count the fees. The meter starts counting as soon as the car starts moving after the passenger gets in. The costumer is charged additional fees for luggage and waiting.  

 Taxi drivers complain

Several taxi drivers complain that new taxi companies have deprived them from getting easy livelihood.

Driver Saleh Al-Matari, who owns a 1983 Cressida car, bitterly admits that launching the services of Raha and Marhaba taxis has badly affected them and left them less margin to move in.

“I used to work for only a few hours to make enough money for my Qat and family expenses. With the introduction of taxi companies, it has been difficult for me to make the required sum though I work day and night,” said Al-Matari.

Taxi driver Ibrahim Saleh Al-Omari agrees with Al-Matari and reveals that the increased numbers of taxis and the launch of Raha and Marhaba taxis forced them to accept any fare offered by customers, hinting that sometimes the offered fare is not enough.

Though he has a 2002 Corolla car, Al-Omari maintains that customers prefer the newest models. Likewise, they prefer riding cars with meters especially for short distances.

According to Al-Omari, the General Traffic Administration should import meters to install them on all taxi cars and thus taxi companies will have no advantage over other cars fearing that lower class citizens could go bankrupt.

However, taxi driver Saddam Mohammed Qasim, 24, emphasizes that he was not affected by the launch of Raha or Marhba taxies, maintaining that everything lies in God’s hand.  

Apart from his daily expenses on qat and food as well as the expenses of his car, Qasim admits that he makes about YR 3,500 by working 8 hours a day. Sometimes, he makes more money, noting that it is different from one day to another.

Mohammed Al-Sa’fani expresses a similar idea to that of Qassim as he believes that everything lies in God’s hand and this has nothing to do with Raha or Marhaba taxis.

Al-Sa’fani, who has been driving taxis for years, indicated that taxi drivers’ income has shrunk because of the inflating number of taxis; however, he stresses that he compensates for that by working more hours comparing to the past. He adds that he makes about YR 6,000 to 7,000 per day and he works for about 13 hours a day. 

Old-model taxis

Drivers of old-model cars feel indignant with Raha and Marhaba taxis as they believe that such cars have deprived them of their livelihood. In this respect, taxi driver Ali Al-Awardhi who owns an old Mazda car states that he stopped his car because he was unable to cover up for its expenses including fuels, repairs and oil.

“I stopped my car because customers are fans of new models’. Our cars do not appeal to them anymore. If someone is standing waiting for a car and you are coming first, he will not stop you; instead he will look for a new car or Raha taxi,” pointed out Al-Awardhi.

He continues that customers charge them less than before and they accept because they have no other option.

“Once you stop to bargain with a customer, two or three other cars will park behind you and this will make the customer insist on the fare he offered. The increasing number of taxis, especially new models that consume less petrol, has made earning living very hard for us,” he adds. “Thus you are left with no option but to take him at his proposed fare or to not to take him and in both cases you are the loser because old models consume more patrol and need constant repairs.” 

Public servants and taxis

Under the country’s deteriorating situation, ailing economy and constant price hikes, public servants seek to have night shift jobs to cover for the increasing needs of their families and children.

Most of them prefer to have taxis feeling it is the easiest way to earn living, especially when most are not skilled and educated enough to join jobs in the private sector.

Taxi driver Habib Al-Qubati, also a public servant in a governmental institution, confesses that the constant price hikes of basic commodities and house rent has forced him to work as a taxi driver to meet his family and children’s needs. He blames the limited opportunities in the private sector for working as a taxi driver.

Like Al-Qubati, thousands of Yemeni public servants always buy taxis or work as drivers to secure additional income. Ali Al-Amrani is one example.

“Public job is not capable of securing your basic needs, let alone settling electricity, telephone and water bills. Thus, most state employees are pressed to search for other alternatives from which they can secure other income sources,” said Al-Amrani.

However, others prefer to abandon state job after agreeing on a certain amounts of money paid for their bosses to devote their time for a private business whatever it is.

Teacher Abdullah Thabet, who has a bus, notes that he gave up educating students, after he felt that the salary he received could not cover for his own daily expenses.

“When I found that my teaching career is incapable of providing living for my family and me, I preferred to buy a bus after I sold my wife’s jewelry. In addition to driving, I work as a broker in real-estate offices. Thus, I can earn enough money for modest living,” declared Thabet.

Thabet went on to say that he could have died of hanger in case he confined himself to state salary.

What costumers say

Nassib Saleh, 29, hints that he gave up riding old taxi cars because he once rode with one and it broke down in the middle of the road. He added that the driver requested him to help him push the car until it started again. Upon restart, he got in and when they moved for a distance it stopped again because there was no patrol in the vehicle. Since then, he has never ridden an old-model taxi.

Teacher Nabil Al-Shamiri comments that the old taxi problems lie in the fact that their drivers seek only money and they do not care about them, hinting that most of these taxis are in a bad condition.

“In case you ride an old-model car while dressed in clean clothes, you just get down finding that your clothes are dirty and you need to go back home and wash them,” remarked Al-Shamiri.

Foreigners prefer Raha and Marba taxis because they do not need to bargain over the service fare as everything is counted by the meter. Rayen, a British citizen teaching English in Yemen, prefers Raha and Marhaba taxis over others, because he can avoid bargaining trouble and the greedy attitude of some drivers.

A large number of females pointed out that they prefer Raha Taxi to other taxis because she can call them to come to her house and take them to the wanted destination.

Raha driver Omar Al-Basha noted that most people prefer to ride Raha cars because they offer services quite different from those offered by others, emphasizing that it is easy for a customer to find his lost stuffs in Raha cars, while he may not get them back if riding other cars.

Al-Basha reveals that he once took a customer to the airport and, while returning back, the customer phoned telling him he lost his expensive cellular phone in his car. Al-Basha returned to the airport and gave the phone back to the customer who offered YR 5,000 in recognition of his honesty though he earlier charged him 1,000 in fares.

Summary

The launches of Raha and Marhaba taxi services as well as the introduction of new-model cars have helped depict a good image of the country and its capital Sana’a. Despite all shortcomings, both companies have worked on reducing unemployment and providing living to hundreds of families.

However, government should provide easy loans to old taxi owners to help them buy new models and earn living for their families behind. It has to help them establish syndicates and funds to manage their work and to assist at the time of accidents.