Passengers annoyed as taxing taxis blow big hole in their pockets
JEDDAH: It takes you no less than half an hour to get a taxi to travel from downtown to north Jeddah in the last days of Ramadan. If you are lucky enough to find a driver willing to travel that distance he will ask at least SR35 for a trip that normally costs SR15.
Sausan A, a mother of three, was exasperated after a recent trip to Jeddah’s historic center, known as the Balad.
“It is unbelievable,” she said. “I got stuck in Balad because my husband couldn’t get his car in and find a parking spot. I decided to take a taxi to my apartment. Fourteen taxi drivers refused to take me while another five asked for SR50. After over half an hour of waiting I found one (driver) who took me for SR30”.
One group of Egyptian pilgrims weighted down with luggage were trying to get back to Makkah by bus said one cab driver asked SR50 for the trip to the nearby station.
“How could they ask for such an amount?” said one of the pilgrims as she pointed to the bus station only a few blocks away.
When asked about this seasonal rise in prices, cab driver Ali smiled and said: “Ramadan kareem!” The implication being that people should be generous during Ramadan.
Bahar, another downtown cab driver, was more specific: it’s the traffic. “The time I need in ordinary times to drop three customers is the amount of time that I need for one costumer during Ramadan,” he said.
Arab News
