Sharjah

dubai expat life

5 new public bus routes launched in Dubai

Five new public bus routes have been launched in Dubai while four others have been revised. The new public bus routes in Dubai are: – … Read more

Tourists in Dubai to get a free mobile SIM

RTA to collect fines issued by Sharjah Municipality

RTA to collect fines issued by Sharjah MunicipalityGovernment of Dubai initiated another step for revenue generation, on the cost of other emirates, of course.

It is announced that fines issued by Sharjah Municipality on vehicles licensed by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) will now be collected by the Dubai-based Authority.

The money collected will be transmitted electronically to the bank account of the municipality.

A large number of Sharjah residents work in Dubai and have registered their vehicles in Dubai.

An agreement has been signed to this effect at the RTA head office in Dubai by Ahmad Hashim Behroozian, CEO of RTA’s Licensing Agency, and Riyadh Abdullah Bin Al Ayyan, Deputy Director General of Sharjah Municipality.

From: Gulf News

City Center Station of Dubai Metro will make Deira more atrractive

People of Dubai are quite excited about upcoming launch of Dubai Metro. Some consider it as a refreshing alternate to traffic-clogged buses and overcharging taxis, while others take it as an attractive addition to Dubai landscape, allowing commuters to access far reached places with far more conveniently than currently possible.

The Metro station named City Centre Station, built right next to Deira City Center, the popular shopping mall, will not only serve visitors to the mall but thousands of others working in hotels, banks, airline offices and offices in the Port Saeed area of Deira.

It is the first underground station on the Red Line when coming from Al Rashidiyah and Dubai airport.

It has been built under the intersection on Al Ittihad Road, linking with Street 14 (name of the road behind the Deira City Centre).

It is located at the Al Ittihad Road intersection between the Dnata building intersection and the Floating Bridge intersection.

The station has four access points, providing access to commuters on all four sides of the intersection.

The City Centre Station was built primarily to provide an alternate transport mode for shoppers to Deira City Centre – one of the first air-conditioned malls built in Dubai.

The Dubai Shopping Centre is another comparatively smaller mall close to the station. There are also a number of leading banks located just two to 10 minutes walk from the station.

There are more than one dozen three- to five-star hotels in the vicinity within a walking distance not more than 10 minutes. Offices of the Ministry of Energy and Etisalat are located within a 10-minute walk.

Those who work in or want to visit the Dnata Building, which houses offices of almost all the airlines operating in Dubai, can also use the City Centre Station.

It will be one of the most convenient stations for commuters coming from Sharjah. They can park their cars and ride the Metro to continue their journey using the Red Line to their destinations on the way to Jebel Ali.

There are ample parking facilities available around the station.

This station will also be the closet for visitors to the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club – voted one of the ‘top-100 Must Play’ golf courses in the world. It incorporates an 18 hole golf course, a five star hotel, residential villas and 121-berth marina.

Image: Gulf News

Tourists in Dubai to get a free mobile SIM

Government Department in Dubai not paying salaries to Staff for months

Here is another news that defies government’s claims of “everything under control” and shows that even the government is feeling the impact of downturn and recession.

It is reported that more than 300 workers who are employed by a government department RTA in Dubai have claimed that they have not been paid for several months.

The workers have entered the country on work visas sponsored by the government department ten months ago, underwent a three-month training period to obtain a driving licence to work for this department but are waiting to start work since last seven months. According to the workers, their labor contract makes them eligible for Dhs 750 per month during the training and Dhs 4,500 salary per month when actual work starts. However, they have not received any payment as yet.

Some of the workers live in labour accommodation in Al Aweer and the others live in the industrial area of Sharjah.

The workers said they do not have enough money to even buy a meal.

Update: The “government department” turned out to be RTA who says payment is delayed because the expats are unable to finish their paperwork yet. Not finished the paperwork in ten months? Who is going to buy that?

Tourists in Dubai to get a free mobile SIM

Expats dumping cars, flying back home to dodge credit crunch

While the media in Dubai (and UAE) follows strict protocol of not revealing information that might harm the reputation of “glowing economy” of UAE, some bits and pieces of “real” news slip out of the net.

Khaleej Times referred to a recent incidents where scores of expats dumped their vehicles in Dubai and flew back home to escape from credit card, bank loans and other financial liabilities, in the wake of recent job cuts in Dubai.

It is also reported that Sharjah Police has beefed up security, especially in labour camps, to prevent crimes that could take place as a result of current and expected job losses.

Moreover, the names of people who owe money to the banks are listed in the system and they wouldn’t be able to leave the country until they settle their debts. Their names will remain in the system until the banks request removal of their names from the blacklist. In order to tackle such issues, police patrols have been increased and undercover policemen have been deployed.

dubai marina

Taxi Drivers in Dubai offering Shared Trips to cover Daily Targets

Getting a taxi in Dubai is not for the faint of heart. Sometimes you have run for a taxi, wave and shout like crazy and even pick a fight for it. But now things are changings. Recession has its effect on Taxi as people are preferring the bus or a walk to cut costs.

As Khaleej Times report, cabbies are now offering shared trips to the different parts of the city and to Sharjah. Taxi drivers said they were struggling to meet their daily targets since the beginning of December.

Many taxi drivers can today be seen calling passengers for shared trips and they say the residents prefer sharing fares.

Farooq Khan, a Pakistani driver, while calling passengers in Al Quoz for a trip to Sharjah, said, “There is no other way to meet the target of Dh370 a day. Since the beginning of December we have been struggling to meet the target. Now we are trying to find a solution and people like the idea of sharing taxis.”

“I take four passengers to and fro and the fares are shared. They are happy and so am I,” he said.

An illegal taxi driver in Al Quoz who did not wish to be named said, “We have big competition now. Dubai taxi drivers never called passengers in the past. Now they are also doing it.”

The RTA has set a fine of Dh5,000 on illegal taxis.