I haven't been here very long--only 4 months--but Mowasalat has never turned me down when I book a car a day before. Sure, sometimes they are an hour late or don't show up at all, but most of the time they are somewhat reliable.

The price difference is not out-of-context at all. Expats get their housing paid for them AND get just about equivalent salaries. If anything, the relative price of transportation is even lower than I considered before.