Illegal car lift Dh5,000 fine-Dubai’s Roads and transport Authority

Car lifts, unregistered taxis, or carpooling against payment: these seem like the perfect solutions in the face of a young public transportation system. But they are not perfect – these services are illegal, and can land you with hefty fines and even a jail term.
Dubai’s Roads and transport Authority (RTA) maintains a strict policy when it comes to illegal car rides. “Motorists using private vehicles as taxis and those offering car-lift services will face fines and deportation,” it has warned in the past.
“Motorists caught offering such service will be fined Dh5,000. Second-time offenders will be fined Dh10,000. And those who commit the offence twice in a year will be handed over to the police and deported,” was the warning.
But this does not seem to scare away commuters from trying alternatives to public transportation. Car lifts, especially, are a popular service, suiting the needs of many who travel on a daily basis, but do not have a car.

“For me, it is a very good solution. My colleague picks me up on his way to work, and I pay him an amount of money per week to share the gas. It is a fair deal to me,” says H.K., a Syrian working and living in Dubai.

“I have a standard driver. I pay him an amount of money per month. And whenever I need him, I can call him to go wherever I want. He is reliable and will always come,” says I.K., an Indian man working and living in Dubai.
A quick search on one of the classifieds websites in the UAE will result in many options. There are those offering the service between two particular places, and those who offer to drive wherever you need. For every location in Dubai, there seems to be an option.

However, this is exactly what the inspectors do. A Pakistani driver tells how he was fooled by an inspector and caught: “I was offering car lift services from International City on a classifieds website. One day I was contacted by a man, who wanted a car lift to Dubai Media City. Once I met him, he identified himself as an inspector. I was fined Dh4,000.”

Another driver says how he was followed by an inspector last Friday after he had picked up his customer. “I stopped over at a bus stop to meet the person I was supposed to give a car lift. As soon as I took off, I was followed by a car. I was pulled over and fined Dh4,000 for providing an illegal car ride. I was also warned that next time I was caught, my driving license would be confiscated,” says the Indian.

The rules are such to protect people from allowing potential criminals inside the car, as passengers may be exposed to theft or face other risks.

The Central Bank plans to introduce the direct debit payment system to the UAE by June 15

But bankers warned that the UAE must press ahead with plans for a credit bureau if the direct debits are to fully replace security cheques carrying criminal liabilities for bounced payments.

All of the UAE's banks and finance companies are to adopt the service, which allows borrowers to fund repayments from their bank account when instalments are due."The facility is designed to eliminate the need to sign several post-dated cheques for instalments upon obtaining a loan," said the Central Bank in a statement. "The benefit for account holders is that they can plan their expenses more efficiently."

The system, which covers mortgages, personal loans and credit cards, is part of a federal government strategy that involves "adopting technology to enhance electronic systems and improve services to banking customers in the UAE", the statement added.

"Given our focus as a regulator we believe it is necessary to have a prudent, stronger and stable economy. Our current intention is to establish a more convenient retail banking system that will create more stable and progressive economic development," the Central Bank said.
In November that the Central Bank was in the midst of trials of its direct debit system to address the 1.4 million cheques that failed at the point of use during last year, representing one in every five used.
The invalid payments were worth Dh46.8 billion (US$12.74bn), according to the Central Bank's data, and although the data do not differentiate between cheques that fail for technical reasons and those that bounce, banks and ATM vendors say there are no major issues with the UAE's cheque-clearing technology.

Bouncing a cheque is a criminal offence, although a presidential decree in October immunised UAE nationals from serving jail time for writing a bad cheque. Since then, more than 1,000 Emirati defaulters have been released from prison.

The implementation of direct debits would be a step in the right direction towards an end of cheque use, but the creation of a credit bureau is still needed, said Ala'a Eraiqat, the chief executive of Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, at the bank's annual general meeting last week.
"It's an operational change, and it definitely brings more efficiency. But will it replace the use of cheques when you sign a loan? Not yet."
The new system would reduce risks in the processing of payments for loan and mortgage instalments, but would not alter the need for better assessment of credit risk, Mr Eraiqat added.

"You can have a much smoother execution," he said."However, the credit bureau will be the real mark in the evolution of lending."
At present, banks use cheques as a method of securing payments as they have no means of assessing a borrower's creditworthiness.
A consensus has emerged during the past year that the UAE's reliance on criminal penalties to ensure discipline among borrowers is in need of overhaul.
The UAE Banks Federation has been discussing how to proceed with decriminalisation of bounced cheques with the Central Bank, although it has warned that an alternative should be found to ensure that banks are still willing to lend.
Bankers say they expect the long-delayed Federal Credit Bureau to become operational at some point during the third

Expats who change name after marriage must get new ID card - EIDA

Expatriates in the UAE who change their surnames after marriage must obtain new Emirates Identity Cards.
According to Emirates Identity Authority (Eida) individuals who change their family names after marriage need to replace their old ID Cards, reported Emarat Al Youm.

And in case there is no change to the name, residents will still need to visit their nearest registration centres within a month of their wedding and update their status on their ID cards. The service is free of charge and can be quickly completed, added the Authority.

Eida added that any minor change in personal details, such as a change in address or designation will also have to be updated on the ID Cards.

They are required to visit registration centres or electronic booths of Eida.

Residents can check their details by going to the ‘update and review your card information’ online.

Similarly, if residents type in errors about their personal information, they are required to contact the customer service centre and rectify the mistake. But if the card has been printed and delivered with a mistake on, then the holder must contact the nearest registration centre.

As per the regulations of the Federal Law, residents registered with Eida and the population register must inform the Authority about any change in their personal information within a month of the change taking place.

UAE clarifies minimum salary rule for three categories

A minimum salary rule will be applied by the Ministry of Labour to three categories of employees, provided they have a secondary school certificate or a higher educational certificate, local Arabic daily Al Khaleej has reported.
Ministry officials said the private sector workers are grouped into five skilled labour categories, adding that employees of the first category should be university graduates and should receive a minimum monthly salary of Dh12,000.
The second category include technicians who should receive not less than Dh7,000, while the third are skillful labourers who must be paid at least Dh5,000, provided they have a secondary school certificate.

According to the report, the latest ministry regulations followed requests by a number of   employees wishing to change their jobs for higher salary and other reasons.

The report states that many of the applications were rejected because they did not meet the necessary conditions. The Ministry has also said it had agreed on bringing labour from outside the UAE as long as all labour conditions are met.
The report quoted the ministry as saying it will not give new labour permits to employees in case the salary they will receive in the new company is less than what the ministry has previously decided.

In such a case, they will have approval six months after the cancellation of the old labour card.
To be given a labour permit, the qualifications of the employees should suit the nature of the job, it said.

UAE Nurseries must have licence from Ministry of Social Affairs

A new law regulating nurseries in the UAE that was recently adopted by the Council of Ministers prohibits nurseries from operating without a licence from the Ministry of Social Affairs,  the Arabic newspaper Al Khaleej has reported.

Violators face both fines and imprisonment, the ministry has warned.

Meanwhile, Mouza Al-Shoumi, director of the children’s department at the Ministry of Social Affairs, told ‘Al Khaleej’ that Article II of the law says that nurseries must provide care and education to children in a safe environment.
She added nurseries must help to develop the child's personality, talents, and mental and physical abilities, including communication skills.
She said the new law empowers local authorities in each emirate to lay down conditions for granting licences to nurseries.She said according to the new law, the chairman of the company seeking a nursery school licence should be an Emirati. The ministry will not approve issue of a licence if the chairman is not an Emirati.

She also said the new law contains a commitment to children with special needs. It also mentions qualifications of nursery school staff, their appointment and the building’s specifications.