Abu Dhabi: Police arrested 115 drivers in Abu Dhabi in the last two months for running their private cars as illegal taxis.
They were allegedly carrying passengers from Abu Dhabi airport in their private cars that were not authorised for commercial use, a police press release said on Monday.
The illegal cabbies were arrested and their vehicles confiscated as part of a campaign launched two months ago, the police said.
The illegal taxi drivers violate labour laws. The practice is illegal according to law No 19 of 2006. If convicted, the culprits are punished with either a fine ranging between Dh5,000 and Dh10,000 or a 30-day imprisonment or both. The punishment will double if an offender is caught for a repeated offence.
The police called on passengers not to hire illegal taxis and urged them to opt for licensed taxis.
Most of the illegal taxi drivers are strangers without proper documents and unqualified to transport passengers. Some of them are new drivers without sufficient experience and expertise to drive cars. Some of them are also absconders and overstaying in the country without a proper residence permit and may pose a threat to the safety and security of passengers. If they commit any crime, it is difficult to track them as they don’t have proper records.
Abu Dhabi Police have completed a study about this illegal practice, which will be published soon.
