EMIRATES: Special Tariff for Old Age and Special Needs

. ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates / Khaleej Times / February 13, 2009 People above the age of 60, people with special needs and people with chronic illnesses, and divorcees will pay lesser taxi fares under a welfare scheme launched by the Abu Dhabi transport authorities. The scheme will come into force
on Sunday. According to the new tariff, senior citizens, people with special needs and those suffering from chronic illness, will be eligible for a discount of 50 per cent on the taxi fare, while divorcees and those covered by social welfare schemes will get 
25 per cent discount. To avail themselves of the discount scheme, the people concerned will have to apply for a special card that will be issued by TransAD, which manages the taxis. The special cards can be obtained from the TransAD’s head office on furnishing the relevant documents that indicate their ages, disability conditions as per the medical reports or reports from relevant government departments, said Abdulla Sultan Al Sabbagh, General Manager of TransAD. When swiped to a gadget that will be attached to the taxi meter, the card will automatically reduce the fare according to the
eligibility category. “We will introduce nine-seater taxis by the end of March or beginning of April and a fleet of taxis that will have one to two seats specially customized seats for people with special needs,” Al Sabbagh said. Drivers, who ferry such passengers, will stand to earn 20 per cent of the fare. anwar@khaleejtimes.com Copyright © 2009 Khaleej Times