Police drive nets 60 illegal private taxis

nicaq25
By nicaq25

The Traffic and Patrol Department has seized 60 private taxis in an ongoing crackdown against the illegal practice of running a transport business without government approval.
The focus of the campaign is to nab all the vehicles that serve as private taxis but are not registered under Karwa or as commercial limousines, a spokesman for the department said.
“Vehicles that are used for purposes other than the licensed one are an obvious violation of the traffic law 5/57, in addition to disruption the traffic flow,” he said.
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=277580...

By anonymous• 29 Dec 2011 23:32
anonymous

Let's not mention that some would smell like (bleep!)

By anonymous• 29 Dec 2011 23:30
Rating: 5/5
anonymous

Karwa is a piece of crap as a whole. Some of their drivers are scammers, they try to scare you of by saying they would charge you that much, or else the ride would cost you a lot more with the meter, once you say go with the meter they would come with an excuse by saying it's not working. In many cases they would ride three people at the same time. I will continue using private transportation or whichever way you want to call it but I would definitely not use these idiots ever again.

By Life Rockz• 29 Dec 2011 13:59
Life Rockz

is it illegal to offer a lift to someone waiting under the scortching sun???

By smoothoperator• 29 Dec 2011 13:11
Rating: 4/5
smoothoperator

Everytime I flagged down a taxi it was empty, but they wanted to negotiate the price and not use the meter. Karwa needs to install hidden cameras. Taxi drivers are using the vehicles for their own purposes and not for the benefit of the company. If you call for a taxi then they are forced to use the meter because they know who was driving if you complain to the company of the illegal charges.

By anonymous• 13 Dec 2009 11:21
anonymous

Agreed 101% to King edsel...KARWA ALWAYS LATE OR NO SHOW...DRIVERS NO KNOWLEDGE OF DOHA ROAD WHATSOEVER...SMELLS LIKE PUPPY TOO...LOL

Earth is like skin that has a desease called Man!!!

By king_qatar• 13 Dec 2009 08:43
king_qatar

karwa is in business since 2002

imagine

..

still same same

By nicaq25• 12 Dec 2009 18:13
Rating: 2/5
nicaq25

I guess it's more pratical just to hire limousine. Believe me.

By injinuity• 12 Dec 2009 16:59
injinuity

If my car is in for servicing and I need a taxi, I just call fox limousine, they come 10 mins before time, and ring you 5 mins before time to let you know that they are already down waiting for you.

Fox Limousines all the way, I dont think many people know about Fox, I have found them to be at times cheaper than Karwa taxi's, so why dont people use them?

Rgds,

J.J

" Winning is not everything, it is the only thing. Second place goes to the first loser " - J.Johnson

By nits• 12 Dec 2009 16:26
nits

I still doubt as everyone can still see number of people outside the citycenter & other malls looking for pesengers? And i donot think there is any harm if those seagreen Karwas are not available & rather standing in queue waiting for long minutes.........but yes heavy price.....for small comfort.......

By adey• 13 Mar 2009 20:00
Rating: 5/5
adey

'illegal' taxi driver campaign is needed.

"Deaths in the Bible. God - 2,270,365

not including the victims of Noah's flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, or the

many plagues, famines, fiery serpents, etc because no specific numbers

were given. Satan - 10."

By anonymous• 13 Mar 2009 19:31
anonymous

good to see the cops taking care of REAL crime.

By DTV_Q2• 13 Mar 2009 19:07
Rating: 3/5
DTV_Q2

so we have to follow the laws of the land, let us show that Pinoys are not law-breakers, better still, some of our kababayans may forget this warning.... ingat po..

By nicaq25• 10 Mar 2009 12:02
nicaq25

long before this green taxis (karwa came out in public), there were these orange taxis, mostly driven by Pakistanis, we complained, of un-fair rate, bad smells & sometimes harassment. Then the government announced that Karwas will be out and will give 'relief' to riding public as they abolished the old orange ones. It has been what?4 years ago since then? Do you think the 'relief' did really come? Or more burden than ever?

"I do live by the motto that pessimists are usually right, but all the great change in history was done by optimists" -Thomas Friedman

By chichi• 10 Mar 2009 08:00
Rating: 2/5
chichi

and it is a good exercise... =)

By chevydjak• 10 Mar 2009 07:43
Rating: 3/5
chevydjak

waiting for a cab. Same period of biking to wakra and waiting for karwa...

"AN END DOES NOT JUSTIFY THE MEANS"

By mjamille28• 10 Mar 2009 06:43
Rating: 3/5
mjamille28

chichi, you can guess who's driving if it smells.... ;)

By chichi• 9 Mar 2009 20:29
Rating: 2/5
chichi

By anonymous• 9 Mar 2009 16:03
anonymous

also the karwa drivers are not satisfied with their payscale & facilities. but i think the private taxis are of much help at needful hour when compared to karwa. as the fare of karwa is high compared to private guys. So many times i hv got help from the pathans ( pakistanis) people just because i am standing in the hot son or with the family. sometimes they dont even take money even if i gv, They say god will gv them, but the worst private taxi guys are the Indian keralites, I think they can do anything for moneyyyyyyyy......

By nicaq25• 9 Mar 2009 15:47
nicaq25

if there's any choice, that is-a private taxi (like ride at your own risk). But choice has not been look into, instead they cracked down these illegals without any alternatives. It is too obvious karwa alone cannot suffice the needs of the growing public commuters.

"I do live by the motto that pessimists are usually right, but all the great change in history was done by optimists" -Thomas Friedman

By MSG• 9 Mar 2009 15:41
MSG

A beautiful lady need to sit under the sun for 2 - 3 hours waiting Karwa taxis...... unacceptable, its better to call your friend with car...Yaahoo enjoy your ride

By Victory_278692• 9 Mar 2009 14:33
Victory_278692

on the roads;

If anyones family with a small baby in the arms under the scorching sun (40-50 degrees)/ heavy rains waiting for a cab on the road for hours is not at all acceptable.....it is painful and shameful for the Qatar public transport authority.

Despite improving the current situation, focus is on wrong side.

By mjamille28• 9 Mar 2009 14:27
mjamille28

"finding a karwa taxi is like_______"

finding a karwa taxi is like searching for a needle in a haystack. :P

By Oryx• 9 Mar 2009 14:26
Oryx

in such circumstances...

very obviously take a photo of the car and plate with mobile

and once at someone who was so persistent...

i threw a little bit of gravel at his windscreen

they see ignoring as acquiesence....

By lednlashes• 9 Mar 2009 14:23
lednlashes

finding a karwa taxi is liking winning a jackpot

By Allen R.• 9 Mar 2009 14:13
Allen R.

The Transportation authorities should first address the need of the people before resorting to this type of strict rules. If there are enough taxis people will not resort to this means of transportation.

By GodFather.• 9 Mar 2009 13:41
Rating: 2/5
GodFather.

They can never out right get rid of these people offering lifts and charging for them. Until Karwa sorts its self out they can nenver do.

What they can do let people co own the Karwa vehicle like the Black Cabs in the UK or let them hire from Karwa on a monthly or weekly or daily basis. This will surely make the drivers take care of the Karwa taxis much better and they will hunt for work when they are working for themselves.

-----------------

HE WHO DARES WINS

By kate_n• 9 Mar 2009 13:39
kate_n

hahah 2 days? what kind of answer is that? You obviously called to get a driver for that day lol

By north_me• 9 Mar 2009 13:37
north_me

It is true that Karwa had just acquired thousands of new vehicle but the problem is, they don't have enough drivers to take it on the road. One time a made a booking but the operator told me they are already fully booked and I can call them back in two days time, WTF is that??

By kate_n• 9 Mar 2009 13:30
kate_n

Luckily I was in front of a business so I was safe however knowing that someone is specifically driving past to watch you is not nice. I saw him do u-turns and park to watch me.

dirty bugger

By mjamille28• 9 Mar 2009 13:25
Rating: 3/5
mjamille28

you should've called the police...

By kate_n• 9 Mar 2009 13:24
kate_n

I had a man drive past me 5 times on Saturday while I was waiting for my lift to arrive. He kept staring at me, beeping and waving to me to come over to his car. I would wave him away however he continued to do u-turns in the busy street, park down the road and watch me. I had to try to hide behind a wall. Once he noticed my ride arrive he was quick to get out of his car and walk away.

This made me angry and very uncomfortable.

By mjamille28• 9 Mar 2009 13:17
Rating: 3/5
mjamille28

exactly what i was trying to point out.. because they have the monopoly on taxis, they just dont do anything for improvement coz they know they will still be patronised,..but people that seem to be sick and tired of their crap service are left with no choice but to opt with private transports... i say it's time for a Karwa competitor...

By bleu• 9 Mar 2009 13:06
bleu

I've heard a lot about Karwa's delays, ordering a taxi, and the only taxi available is tomorrow at 23:15, and then it doesn't come.

Karwa needs a competitor, we need to give another company the right to run thousands of taxis, then you'll see changes in karwa's performance.

By mjamille28• 9 Mar 2009 11:26
Rating: 2/5
mjamille28

maybe one of the contributing factors why their services suck is because there is no other option for commuters except Karwa... they have monopolized the taxi business maybe they got so confident that they will still rake money even if they dont make efforts to improve their services.. but obviously they really need to work on it!

By Victory_278692• 9 Mar 2009 11:10
Victory_278692

proper public transportation, KARWA absolutely non sense(need to be booked 24 hours before).

This is ridiculous.

By wishdom• 9 Mar 2009 11:08
Rating: 2/5
wishdom

yel... true again those taxis are not working coz of car damages, linking of gas, bumps coz of reckless drivers, not working properly (like clutches brakes ) this is proven to me by my friend...

i think this is the 1500 that they are talking...lol

.

By BLESS7• 9 Mar 2009 11:02
BLESS7

KARWA SUCKS...all are F*****G drivers and with very bad attitute and 99 percent of these drivers dont care about the company vehicle.....

this is the main reason huge no. of vehicle are under repair all the time

i wonder how karwa management dont reveal such things

By mjamille28• 9 Mar 2009 10:58
Rating: 4/5
mjamille28

yes wish, they're roaming in the deserts,... karwa really sucks.. :/

By nepparaiso• 9 Mar 2009 10:55
nepparaiso

drivers pay less (1k a month? or less?)

By yel_tiu• 9 Mar 2009 10:50
yel_tiu

if you will go to industrial in their garage more karwa taxi stock there.. i dunno for what they put there and stock there for how many months or years

By chichi• 9 Mar 2009 10:31
Rating: 4/5
chichi

before they implement this rule...

even if you make reservations, taxi's are all full thus we have no other choice but to contact private car lifts.

By ron_ona• 9 Mar 2009 10:24
ron_ona

The crackdown is meant for those who are so visibly parked & waiting for passengers in commercial areas. Usually on Fridays ferrying people from the souqs to their accomodation at the industrial area. These masquerading guys usually use pickups & vans often owned by their respective companies, the green plates.

But for guys owning privy cars, how the heck they would know that these guys are roving around Doha for fares?

Kaya para sa mga Karwa boys, tuloy pa rin pero ingat lang din syempre...

"The truth hurts. But the truth cares"

By nepparaiso• 9 Mar 2009 10:23
nepparaiso

parked in the vacant lot fronting Qatar Airways....

waiting for the passengers from the airport?

How about passengers on the city streets waiting for you?

How many hours they will wait karwa while the taxis are all parked?

Calling Karwa Management...

****** video available on request **********

By wishdom• 9 Mar 2009 10:21
wishdom

and most of the time they're not plugging down their meters... and they give spicific amount for you to pay off... all the time drivers of karwa are choosing passengers...

.

mj i think they are roaming in the dessert...whacha tink...

By chevydjak• 9 Mar 2009 09:55
chevydjak

"AN END DOES NOT JUSTIFY THE MEANS"

By anonymous• 9 Mar 2009 09:41
anonymous

copper may have caught-you-in-the-act?

"dgoodrebel will always be the rebellious good one"

By britexpat• 9 Mar 2009 09:36
britexpat

Its a frame up.. All I was doing was giving a lift to a distraught chinese lady in high heels and this copper comes up and books me..

By mjamille28• 9 Mar 2009 09:34
Rating: 4/5
mjamille28

i have a question to the frequent customers of taxis here:

soon as the meter starts running, how long does it usually take for the amount to change/increase?

By anonymous• 9 Mar 2009 09:32
anonymous

concerned citizen of Qatar who's heart are so soft for the undrepriivileged or poor people of Gaza. They should rally to bring-out their voice regarding this matter. How can you solve a problem if the problem is you? They want to solve the problem of "illegal" taxis and yet, if you look deeper (and as everybody who posted and will post) the problem is in the inability of "legal" taxis to provide even a decent service?.

"dgoodrebel will always be the rebellious good one"

By mjamille28• 9 Mar 2009 09:29
mjamille28

lol wishdom, they must've deployed those 1500 cars somewhere in the middle of the desert,.. coz it sure ain't anywhere in the streets of Doha.. :P

By chevydjak• 9 Mar 2009 09:28
chevydjak

"AN END DOES NOT JUSTIFY THE MEANS"

By mjamille28• 9 Mar 2009 09:18
Rating: 4/5
mjamille28

how very true... it really sucks when they keep bragging about their newly acquired vehicles and yet, everytime you call them to book for a taxi, it is almost always not available.... :/

By wishdom• 9 Mar 2009 09:17
wishdom

true... i read some of there magazine.. they called it masarat... they said that they are deploying 1500 taxi everyday but ..... i see few in the street... how come!!!

.

By nepparaiso• 9 Mar 2009 09:11
Rating: 4/5
nepparaiso

By King Edshel• 9 Mar 2009 09:06
Rating: 5/5
King Edshel

solve the problem ... you can start doing that once Karwa solve their issues serving their customers right. It's ridiculous to make a reservation one day before and then it's either would be late or never come.

What is more ridiculous is waiting under the burning sun for 1 - 2 hours and sometimes more in some remote area waiting for a Karwa that would never show up.

Most of these drivers are the old orange taxi drivers, they lost their jobs and got nothing to do to earn. That is their solution to do so and live their life.

I was just wondering, why Karwa did not get those guys as Karwa drivers as most of them been working here for more than 15 years already and know Doha streets like the back of their hand.

It's really frustrating and sad to ride with someone who does not know to where are you going and would keep asking for directions along all the way.

What can be worse than being tired, upset after work and waiting for a taxi, then being nervous all the way because this driver does not know where are you going and you have to stand at the top of your toes in the taxi giving them directions at every single street or traffic light?

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. (Gautama Buddha)

By nicaq25• 9 Mar 2009 08:35
nicaq25

Karwa if not sometimes, is always not available!

"I do live by the motto that pessimists are usually right, but all the great change in history was done by optimists" -Thomas Friedman

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