Dubai: Authorities have decided to stop issuing driving licences to certain categories of residents to curb the sharp rise in the number of vehicles, Gulf News has learnt.
Residents belonging to up to 100 categories will not be given licences. These include nurses, cooks, carpenters, housemaids, watchmen, tailors, cafeteria waiters, unskilled labourers, gardeners and bakers. People belonging to other categories, which do not require a university degree, will not be able to open a driving licence file at traffic police departments all over UAE.
A Sharjah Police official told Gulf News that the interior ministry has instructed traffic departments last week to stop opening driving licence files for people belonging to about 100 categories as mentioned in their residence visa.
Not a new legislation
"The move is meant to reduce the huge number of vehicles by limiting the number of professionals allowed to obtain driving licences," the official said.
The official said the decision was implemented last week and many applications from these categories were turned down.
The police official said that this was not a new law as there used to be restrictions on issuing driving licences.
"The law was then relaxed by the ministry and everyone was allowed to obtain driving licences. But due to a massive increase in the number of vehicles, the ministry has decided to restrict issuing driving licences," he said.
The official said that those whose residence visa shows that they fall under these categories will not be able to open a driving licence file.
A driving school instructor said the school received the decision last week. She said this would affect the schools as many applications will be rejected.
Akmal, an Indian domestic helper who works for a family in Sharjah, said a driving school and the Sharjah traffic department turned down his application.
Akmal's sponsor told Gulf News that he tried to open a driving licence file for his domestic help, but it was rejected. "I was told that if the profession in the residence visa is driver and that he came to work as a driver then he can obtain a licence, otherwise there is no way for him," he said.
http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Traffic_and_Transport/10263687.html
Thoughts?
30 November, 2008
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38 comments:
yet another dumb rule to drive out domestic help. i wonder if anyone from the emirati population would like to take over these 100 categories of jobs?
How will this affect those who already have licenses but fall under these 100 categories? How often do licenses need to be renewed and will they refuse renewal for those under these categories?
Unbelievable.
Apparently, it's just at SHJ. Exclude cabbies?
"Those who cannot apply include: watchmen, typists, cooks, carpenters, housemaids, tailors, cafeteria waiters, unskilled labourers, gardeners and bakers and others who do not have university degrees."
It's confusing, 'cause some of those folks, could have a uni degree. However, there are a few rich business folks, who never graduated, do they count?
Didn't BAH try and introdude something similar, only to back off?
Come to think of it, they are introducing better, dedicated bus routes. It's SHJ, often the message & intent gets lost in translation :)
uhh. what the hell is gulf news doing? first they write the article as "Dubai:" with references to sharjah only and now they've renamed the article to "Licence rule applies to Sharjah only"
Read this part in particular:
"Gulf News reported on Tuyday"
poor people shouldnt be allowed to live. eliminate the poor, eliminate poverty. im all for brands and elitism.
lol@hemlock
Yes, it is truly time to eliminate, not the people but the poverty.
Anyway, as usual, we will not really know what the law is on this one for quite some time, but I can say that Dubai accepted an application yesterday from someone who falls into an under-class category.
and isn't riding a bicycle in Sharjah also banned?
I think they should ban Sharjah.
What a joke ..........
Why would the goverment come up with a insensible law/plan.
in the first case i would like to know how many of the so called SPECIAL categories ( ie nurses,bakers,carpenters,housemaid) have a car........... and i also would like the Goverment to find that out..
The traffic congestion is caused by the working professionals and some family who own 12 cars for 12 people....
Solution :
Encourage public transport ( by making them cheaper and more organised )
Improve road facilities by not posting a sign "" MEN AT WORK " 365 days of the year.
PLS PLS Ban trucks during office hours in the entire UAE( not only sharjah)
regrads
this *is* confusing, the article i posted, it said the ban would be applicable in all emirates but then i checked out article rosh posted...
Seeing the need for a Hummer ought to be grounds enough for instant disqualification.
Hm, I always thought you needed a degree to be a nurse? What about 18 year old high school students?
This rule is wrong in so many ways..
I hope this also means stop renewing car licenses for those categories.
Mars, even if some of the Emiratis were one of those categories, they are exempted from such rule. Remember, it isn't Emiratis who bought 800 thousand cars in the past 5 years causing all those traffic jams.
Saw this on the 'news' on Dubai 1 last night.
With all the decisions as of late it seems that Dubai is actually trying to destroy it's own economy from the bottom up, or it's slipping into a state of dementia.
Sad.
The best move ever!!!!!!!
Mars said...
yet another dumb rule to drive out domestic help. i wonder if anyone from the emirati population would like to take over these 100 categories of jobs?
Why should we as long as the world economy allows this kind of life style. You dont like it? Leave. simple and sweet.
Finally! No more crazy pakistanis (you know i dont mean all pakistanis... if you have an MBA you are probably not in this category) who seem to have only 2 hobbies in life. Slamming into me and slamming on their brakes for no good reason.
No ban women from driving and the streets might be safer! No, Im not kidding.
I know I shouldn't respond to this since I left the UAE 18 months ago. But I still want to see the country succeed.
Sadly, I see it failing, largely because the government(s) keep on issuing stupid laws/rules/regulations that have not been drafted on the basis of common sense, or in consultation with concerned parties, or after reasoned debate and discussion. These 'laws' are regularly changed or abandoned once they have been made public.
I wonder how many of this list of 'banned professions' can actually afford to drive a car right now? Almost none, I would guess, and so banning the future issuance of licenses to them will make no difference.
Road traffic is a major problem in most of the Emirates: far better to invest in reliable and cheap public transport.
My life has been transformed since moving to Madrid: we have a superb Metro system, accompanied by a superb bus system. Buses and taxis run on dedicated lanes (and any Sheikh trying to bust into these lanes would get a well-deserved spike up his arse).
Remember: one bus can take seventy cars off the road. But the buses need to be able to run on time, and there needs to be enough of them. All it takes is management will and initiative. If you build it, and it works, people will come. It's so mind-bogglingly obvious. I think I might put in a bid to replace the RTA - I could get the UAE moving in less than a year, without banning bakers and tailors from being able to get a driving license.
"If you build it, and it works, people will come. It's so mind-bogglingly obvious"
lol Keefie, thanks for the chuckle :) True indeed! Who wants the agony of traffic jams, slamming brakes, being rude and constant horns, when you could be inside comforts of a bus - reading a book, listening to some music or just chat with a friend on your way to work. I "discovered" beauty of public transport here in NYC. I've been a dedicated user since and am never going back. Dedicated bus lanes within & between SH-DXB can bring about a miraculous reduction in traffic woes, I think.
@Hemlock
poor people shouldnt be allowed to live. eliminate the poor, eliminate poverty. im all for brands and elitism.
I second that.
But will that lead to another French Revolution?
-FR
Keefieboy
Well said!
But as you know its no use. Their idea of bus... Articualted buses! for Dubai roads!
I am sure you will surely succeed you were to replace RTA!
-FR
PE
"it isn't Emiratis who bought 800 thousand cars in the past 5 years causing all those traffic jams."
Without these perhaps you would need traffic lights or RAT.. for that matter!
FR: of course not! who will start a revolution?
the poor would have been eliminated; the rich sods are too lazy to do anything for themselves - not that they know how, and with no poor people around, they wont even be able to pay anyone to rebel on their behalf.
the middle class, if any is left by then, would be too scared to lose what little they have. *shrugs*
so no, i dont see any great literature coming out in the near future. and you can quote me on this.
"But I still want to see the country succeed."
Yeah right. Filthy words - filthy man. Don't come back, please :)
With no particular reference to this rule in particular, it seems nowadays that rules change so quickly and keep changing that it's so hard to keep up...
Ironically, people who are meant to be able to advise on these rules don't know them either - this is so frustrating.
As many will have experienced, you go from one person to the other, and they pass you to another, and it goes on. One person says #a; the other says #b.
One can work with the system, but it can get quite soul-destroying at times.
May I just add to the list of those who should be banned - any buffoon who feels the need for a massive windscreen tint.
i just want to know:
those whom are working in far places where there is no way to get transportation at late nights for examples, what they will do????
I think that the government should offer them transportation then to publish like this rules
then why its only in sharjah , not in any other emirates??
why its only in sharjah , not in any other emirates??
Maybe using Sharjah as a trial model before spreading it elsewhere?
OYE Mr Dtp
Mine are all blacked out, does that mean my driving skills are hopeless? Nah..........It just means I can drive around in the nuddy and stay cool.
Dammit CG - you may have got me there and gone halfway to solving why there are so many of these Big Blacked Cars in accidents - and I thought it was because they couldn't see where they were going :)
Sales Executive is NOT a title that requires a mandatory university degree. Is the massive population of sales executives in Dubai supposed to bus it in order to visit clients for meeting presentations? Do these lawmakers just roll over in the morning and say "hey, that's a great idea"?
There is something to be said for bureacracy when it has to pass through committees that actually think of the repurcussions. This is supposed to cure the traffic problems or the revenue problems to the city? Don't deny those that pay through the nose to live here to earn an income. A law like this (unseen anywhere in the world) is just one of the many bad decisions that will drive the commerce from Dubai slowly.
LOL! Another crappy law we have to put up with and another crappy law, we love to laugh about.
Wonder if these guys smoke hash while thinking? Or if thinking is so hard on their brains they need hash?
I've posted my views on my blog. Feel free to visit and comment!
http://ummedmaverick.blogspot.com/2008/12/100-unfortunate-categories-in-uae.html
excellent idea, ban sales "executives" from getting licenses or driving, that alone will reduce traffic by 50%
thats the problem with Dubai, nothing is really produced here, just a lot of selling going on, if you're not a local or a slave then you're just a glorified salesman (aka monkey in a business suit).
More discrimination against 'unpopular' nationalities, who do the jobs Emiratis can't or won't do. Shame on you Emiratis, all of you, for not standing up to oppose this ridiculous move.
Will the requirement to have a degree in order to drive a car apply to Emiratis too? Why not - they are the worst drivers of all, especially the stupid kids. Maybe all Emiratis under 25 should be prevented from having a licence too?
I dont have a university degree, however I have loads of other qualifications relevant to my area of work.. since I dont have a degree I was not given a visa as an engineer..due to this reason I was rejected the license when I applied for it 6 months back in AUH. Now I have to find a university and start enrolling myself for a degree program and continue doing so for 3 years obtain the degree and then apply for a license..!!! Ludicrous
What if one is a Chef working in a 5star & above hotels? Cant they own a car or drive?
LOL!! This was just the thing I asked my husband's friend today.... Poor Chefs earning 5 figure salaries will now have to travel by buses that take them around the world before they reach their workplace! HAHAHAHA!!!
What would it take for these govt. guys to use a thinking cell in their brain - for once????
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