Rampant Taxi Crime Explained

It comes to my attention that not everyone is aware of the rampant taxi crime which exists in Dubai. (I think it's actually getting better.)

Taxis are in short supply already, and when you're wandering around in the 100-degree heat, desperate for some transportation, here are some of the fun things that can happen:

1. Taxi driver refuses to come pick you up when you call, because it requires driving through traffic to get to you.

2. Taxi driver drives by, stops, asks you where you're headed, then refuses to let you in the car because it requires driving through traffic to get to where you're going.

3. Taxi driver lets you in the car, and then upon hearing your destination, refuses to take you directly there because of traffic. You instead travel a 90-mile roundabout to get there which costs 5-times as much. (This isn't a problem for me, just for poor people.)

4. Taxi driver refuses to drop you exactly at your destination, again because of traffic, but offers to let you off 50 or 60 meters from your destination.

5. You call to book a taxi through the call center, and then the taxi driver, instead of picking you up, merely MARKS you as "picked up" in the computer system, presumably to avoid traffic. 

Everytime I take a taxi somewhere without one of these things happening, I consider it a small victory.