Even as business activities are returning to normal despite fears of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, taxi drivers in Muscat say they are still left in the lurch due to lack of passengers.
Most of the minicabs have already taken off the road, and the catch is that the capital’s trademark orange taxis still do services, albeit there are not enough passengers to make a good mark in earnings.
Saleh al Yakoobi, who has been driving in the downtown Ruwi and adjoining areas, says the taxis are in a bad way after the outbreak of the pandemic.
“Although there is improvement in the situation as people start coming out on the streets, they are not enough to support our daily income. We are really struggling”, he said.
Fare income is less than 50 per cent of pre-Covid levels, he told the Observer.
With the public taking extra precautions and being wary of close contact, many taxi drivers are doing everything possible to reduce the risk of infection to passengers, incurring additional losses.
“We have our own supply of disinfectant and clean the car seats, door handles and other areas after every trip. We try as much as possible to disinfect the vehicles every week”, said a group of drivers at the Ruwi Plaza taxi stand.
Rashid al Suleimani, a cab driver in Muttrah, said that during this season of the year, normal situations used to be very lucrative thanks to the tourist arrivals.
“The pandemic, having halted tourism to a large extent, has drastically reduced demand for cab rides. Even if there is a cruiser, tourists do not venture out due to fear of coronavirus and restrictions”, he said.
He said that the last two years had depleted their cash balance to the extent that they find it difficult to pay for their loans and other expenditures, which they fear will push them into desperation.
“Fortunately, my pension is a blessing. For many of their counterparts, they are really struggling. Many have already hung their cab licence”, he said.
For Khalid al Balushi, the plight is not going to end soon. “With the fall in the number of expatriate workers who form the majority of our customers, there is no certainty that our earnings will be restored to earlier levels”, he said.
Establishing his claim is the plummeting number of taxis on the road, as revealed by the data from the National Centre for Statistics and Information.
According to the state statistics agency, there has been a fall of over 15 per cent in the number of taxis registered during the last one-year period.
While there were 29,931 taxis registered at the end of December 2020, the number came down to 28,480 by the end of December 2021.
Experts familiar with the transport sector are of the opinion that taxis operated through different apps still are doing good business in Oman.
“Many startups are coming up with innovative ideas and solutions that suit the needs of the passengers. They provide better services and hassle-free ride”, said Fares Abdullah, who is associated with a mobile app for taxi service.
Significantly, the ride-hailing app has witnessed steady growth even during the challenges thrown up by the pandemic, he added.
