Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Car pooling confusion continues

Each time our beloved RTA clarifies the new car pooling regulations they confuse it more.

Today 'a senior official' again tells us that we do and don't need to register, we can and can't drive friends and relatives with or without pre-registering their names, we do and don't need a certificate.

I quote from the story in Gulf New:

Our website for issuing carpooling certificates will be ready by the end of this month...

...people can drive their friends and colleagues to and from their homes and workplaces without fear of getting fines provided they get approval from the RTA...

...People can always carry their friends and relatives even without getting registered with the RTA...

...The purpose of getting the names of passengers registered for car pooling is to discourage people who run illegal taxis...



So what is the situation in the real world?

We are free to carry friends and relatives in our cars without pre-registering their names and without obtaining a certificate. But if we do, we're liable to be stopped by RTA inspectors and fined. Then, as I posted earlier, we have to go to the a committee which studies all such cases and cancels the fine of the motorist if they have been wrongly fined.

Is that it?

And another question I've asked many times before. Why does the media write this meaningless garbage? Why don't the 'journalists' clarify the situation before filing the story?


Read the story for yourself and see if you can work it out. It's here.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I completely agree. Three articles later and I still don't know who should register and who shouldn't. Maybe this piece of legislation will meet the safe fate as the minimum speed limits.

Keef said...

These RTA people need to visit the real world sometime.

i*maginate said...

We might read the correct info if it were provided correctly.

Anonymous said...

Usually, these kind of news are ready-made from the RTA itself so, no journalist is responsible for writing the garbage.

Anonymous said...

It is clear enough if you read the RTA carpooling website FAQ. There is a misunderstanding and misleading as well to people about the terms of illigal taxi in Dubai. RTA inspectors MUST follow specific procedures to identify the illegal taxi driver before fining one. If a driver stops for a passenger and starts negotiating with his/her then it is illegal taxi. If an inspector stops a car suspecting illegal taxi then the inspector MUST separate driver from passenger and ask them questions separately such like names and mobile numbers to identify if driver knows the passenger. if driver does not know the passenger's name then, excuse me,,, it is illegal taxi. If all passengers and driver are co-workers and carry the same company ID then inspectors CAN NOT fine them. but if they do not carry employment ID then inspectors MUST separate them to know if they really work together.
About RTA carpooling website, it is intended mainly to MATCH between people who are staying in the same area and traveling the same routes but they do not know each other. the website will assist them to identify each other and share the ride. It is also for coowrkers who do not have Company ID to avoid confusing the inspectors. Families are not required to get permit at any situation or any time.
The permit is free and simple to be issued then why not.
log in to www.sharekni.ae

Seabee said...

Anon it's all unnecessary bureaucracy. They simply need to let people get on with their lives. The only reason there are illegal taxis is that the taxi service is inadequate. Fixing that fixes the problem, interfering in who people give lifts to doesn't.