Taxi drivers say the pressure of fare targets spurs them to break the law by picking up passengers at undesignated stops.
“If we don’t reach our target for the month, the company will shout at us,” said Shuhanur Rahman, 38, a Bangladeshi who drives for Cars Taxi.
“We stop anywhere to pick up passengers but we tell them to hurry so we won’t block the way.”
Mr Rahman works for about 13 hours a day and sets a Dh500 daily target to earn his 30 per cent commission.
Those who bring in Dh450 a day get a 25 per cent commission, with 10 per cent for those with daily earnings of Dh390.
Last month Mr Rahman was paid Dh3,000 in commission for bringing in about Dh12,300 in monthly earnings.
The increasing number of taxis on the road and illegal private cabs make it hard to find customers, said Ronald Aquino, 40, an Emirates Taxi driver from the Philippines.
There are more than 7,000 silver taxis in Abu Dhabi, six special needs vans, 220 airport vans, and 270 Mercedes Vito vans. Details