WHAT UAE ROAD USERS SAY
Nasser Jaan From Pakistan, taxi driver
“I don’t use the GPS every day but, when I travel to Dubai and other emirates, I do. I use it in Abu Dhabi when I get a booking request from residents in villas and I ask them to send the GPS coordinates on WhatsApp, so we can arrive there quicker.
“Apart from this, I don’t use too much technology and I remember most routes in Abu Dhabi. Overdependence on anything is bad. In the past, the population was sparse and people travelled less so they remembered everything. If you didn’t have an option, you would have to resort to navigating your way by stargazing. Nowadays, we have all kinds of information at our fingertips. Thanks to technology, people today are smarter than their ancestors.”
Bishno Broo From Nepal Driving a taxi for three years in Abu Dhabi
“Every day, I use the GPS in the taxi as we get bookings online or over the phone and people only tell us their villa number and street. It’s very helpful in our daily life particularly when we go to other emirates. Without GPS, I can’t drive and would waste a lot of time in finding the localities. So I don’t agree [that using GPS is limiting for the brain].
“Of course, we don’t overuse it, only when we don’t know the place. I can’t say who is smarter, those who memorise directions or those who use GPS, but technology helps us a lot and it has become a part of our life. It doesn’t mean we forget everything, we also remember most of routes we go on but we seek help too.”
Ritika Maloo From India
“Almost every day I use the GPS as sometimes, I find the traffic to be heavy or some roads closed. So I have to find alternative routes and GPS is really helpful. I can’t move around without GPS, whether it’s in Abu Dhabi or Dubai because, if I miss an exit, it means an additional 10km of driving.
“I am not aware of studies that say the overuse of GPS makes the brain dull but I find this technology to be very useful. In fact, I don’t agree that technology harms us and as for keeping my brain ticking, I do solve puzzles.
“Life in the past was different. Our ancestors had limited mobility and no access to technology but the new generation is smarter thanks to technology. It enables quick accessibility, is accurate and saves time and money.”
Sanjaya Kumar From Nepal
“I use GPS everyday and I can’t think of life without it. It helps us in reaching places quickly, saves time and fuel. Mostly, we use it to reach new localities but, once we have visited the place, there is no need to use it there again.
“I don’t agree technology makes our brains dull; in fact, it makes us smarter. In fact, this generation is smarter than their ancestors. In this diverse world with its multiple challenges, we need to prove our efficiency in each field and it doesn’t mean that using technology will make us forget things. If we have an option, we should use it.”