Watch: RTA launches #WhosYourCabbie campaign

This campaign has given us all something to think about…

Taxi drivers. We depend on them to help get us from point A to B and while some of us may converse with them during the journey, one of the many things we have failed to ask them  their name.

As a way of correcting this, Road and Transport Authority (RTA) has released a campaign called #WhoseYourCabbie in a bid to bring a name to the drivers behind the wheels of taxis here in Dubai.

The video calls to attention the lack of identity that taxi drivers face. We call them by many names: sir, boss, bhaiya (brother in Hindi), mister, taxi and more.

‘But when we all became faceless citizens, taxi drivers became heroes to us all. As our city stood still, they became our lifeline’, the RTA video stated.

And as a way of recognising and saying ‘Thank You’, RTA is adding the driver’s name to the top of the cars so passengers have a name to the heroes behind the wheel who constantly help keep Dubai moving.

The video shows the top of the taxi sign being changed to names like Walid, Samir, Asif, Ahmed, Kumar, Salim, Joe, George and more.

And while drivers felt honoured, passengers as well got to know them.

Speaking about passengers, one taxi driver stated, ‘They talk about weather, food and Dubai. Now, they know who they’re talking to.’

With the initiative, ‘What was once an impersonal taxi ride became a journey shared by passengers and drivers’. The video ends showing the drivers smiling standing next to their taxis with their names with a text that reads ‘Get to know our cabbie #WhoseYourCabbie’

While not all taxis have the name of your driver on the top, the next time you ride in one, all you have to do is ask and get to know your cab driver.

What a great initiative, RTA!

Images: Road and Transport Authority