52 per cent drop in new taxis

Taxis continue to bear the brunt of the current lull in the automobile market in Oman.

Testifying the fact is a massive fall of over 52 per cent in the registration of taxis in August this year compared with the same month in 2017.

This difference is more than 22 per cent in the first eight months of the current year when the taxi registration saw a drop of 30 per cent, showing they are no more a major bread-earner.

“It is not just because of the introduction of alternative transport arrangements like Mwasalat or other taxi services. The new generation of Omanis is changing their outlook as far as their professional life is concerned,” said Khalid al Balushi, a human resource specialist.

According to him, many taxi drivers till recently included retired employees or people with less education. Even those who were on government payrolls were also doing part-time taxi service.

“Most of them are leaving their taxis as they are no more found to be lucrative as they were before,” Khalid said.

Talal, a taxi driver in Ruwi, said passengers travelling in taxis have dropped more than 50 per cent in the recent past.

“There are no people to travel in taxis. Most of them now resort to buses to reach their workplace or other destinations,” he said.