By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: Many commuters are demanding that taxi operator Mowasalat take strict action against its drivers who violate rules. They have also criticised it for not responding properly to their complaints against taxi drivers.
Some passengers say they do not know if their complaints are heeded or simply ignored. Others are of the opinion that it is better to complain to the police rather than give a written complaint to the taxi operators.
Complaints to Karwa, Al Million and Alijarah taxi companies have to be made through the Mowasalat website. But some commuters complain by calling their hotlines or by email. The majority of them have complained about cabbies demanding more money, refusing to switch on the meter and refusing to take passengers to certain destinations.
The Mowasalat website has a page for receiving comments, complaints and suggestions from passengers. It is mandatory for the passengers to give their name, email id and phone number and limit the complaint to 100 words.
“I have made two complaints to Mowasalat. But they didn’t even acknowledge the complaints. I have no clue whether they took them into consideration or just ignored them,” said a safety engineer who usually hires a taxi when his car is not available.
“We have the right to know what happens to our complaints,” he added.
An employee of a popular food chain said he had called the Al Million hotline to register a complaint but was asked to file a written complaint, yet he had not received any response. “They just ask us to make a formal complain, but I think no action is taken.”
“When I told the taxi driver that I would complain against him, he didn't take it seriously. It can be because they know that no action would be taken,'' he added. Ali Bahzad, director of the Taxi and Limousine Department at Mowasalat, recently said that they receive 200 complaints every day but are unable to take action because details like the taxi’s number and the place, date and time of the incident are not mentioned.
“If the passenger has not given accurate details and if they are serious about taking action, they can easily contact them because all their details are mentioned in the complaint,” said a passenger who has once made a complaint to Mowasalat.
''I think it’s better to log a police complaint about taxi drivers because we can at least be sure that the issue would be looked into,'' said a passenger, referring to a recent news item published in The Peninsula about a cabbie being jailed for one month.
''Complaints should be made to the police at least in serious situations,'' suggested a bank employee, who too has had several bad experiences with cabbies, especially their refusal to go by the meter.
It is learnt that complaints against the cabbies are mostly taken lightly. In most cases, they are just asked to give a verbal explanation. They get a warning letter or get suspended from work for three days if it is a police complaint.
“When the company receives a complaint, we are called for an explanation. A warning is given if there are many complaints against us, but if it is serious, such as a police case, usually the driver is suspended from work for three days,’’ said a taxi driver, requesting anonymity.
Taxi drivers are given training on the routes and rules before they start work. Karwa usually gives six months of training, but Al Million and Alijarah provide only a few days of training and the drivers are given a fact sheet detailing traffic rules and information about the daily rent and working hours.
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