In Red Ink: A Drivers’ Crisis!
In recent years, we have observed a rise in the number of new drivers employed by major delivery companies who lack proficiency in Arabic. We are facing an inevitable crisis: suffocating traffic congestion and social crimes that threaten our security, driven by the continuous influx of delivery cyclists. This surge occurs without any regulated cap on the number of drivers per company, particularly as the number of new arrivals increases, many of whom have no knowledge of our streets, culture, or language.
The issue is no longer limited to the thousands of workers employed by large corporations and retail outlets; it has expanded with the entry of platforms like Uber and others into consumer delivery services. This has multiplied the numbers exponentially, creating a ticking time bomb unless their numbers are controlled and their presence regulated.
This disarray has even affected “premium” delivery companies, which are supposed to provide professional services. A few weeks ago, I took a ride in one of their vehicles, only to be surprised by the driver’s complete ignorance of the location of the Jumeirah Hotel. His incorrect positioning and confusion in the middle of the public street caused me to miss an important event. It appeared he did not even know the basics of driving. When I asked him, “How long have you been in Kuwait?” he replied, “Three months!” I thought to myself, “What a pity! I hope I arrive safely.”
Last week, while in Scotland, I asked a local driver about the nature of their work, as the matter “weighs heavily on my heart.” I asked, “How do you obtain a taxi driver’s license? Is the process easy?” He assured me that driving there is never easy. Drivers undergo precise annual tests for every street and turn, even if they are experienced, to ensure they know and are familiar with every street. Moreover, obtaining a driver’s license requires more than a year of training and rigorous examinations.
Why can’t we adopt this successful experience? We urgently need to enact strict laws that put an end to this arbitrariness and limit the presence of unqualified labor, in order to save our streets from an inevitable future traffic crisis.
