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Sharjah lifts driving licence ban on low paid job categories Afkar Abdullah / 1 September 2013 Nurses, tailors and bakers are some of the workers in 86 low paid job categories who will once again be able to drive around on Sharjah streets, after authorities overturned a 2008 decision to withhold licences from such residents. The news is not only being welcomed by those affected workers, but driving schools who are anticipating a cash injection from an influx of customers. The Sharjah Police Traffic Department issued a memo last week that was circulated to all driving schools advising them they were now allowed to accept applications from workers and residents of all categories. That includes people who are working as nurses, cooks, carpenters, housemaids, watchmen, tailors, waiters, unskilled labourers, gardeners and bakers, among many others, who were not able to open a file with the traffic department to obtain licences. The decision issued earlier was a local decision taken by the Sharjah Government which applied only within the emirate. A police source said the decision taken in 2008 was intended to be temporary, in order to reduce the number of driving licence applicants due to traffic congestion and pressure on the traffic police. Now the police have decided to give the right to drive back to people in these categories due to the rapid infrastructure of new roads and bridges, which have eased traffic congestion and mean the roads are better able to handle an increased number of motorists. The police have also enhanced their services using advanced technology to reduce the pressure and more efficiently deal with traffic policing issues, the source said. Driving schools in the emirate have welcomed the decision which will help business boom. “This is good news — the earlier decision really affected the business as the number of students was reduced by more than 50 percent, but now with the new decision we will be expecting a large number of students to come and learn to drive,” a Sharjah driving school manager said. afkarali@khaleejtimes.com Taylor Scott International
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