Meet a lady taxi driver in Abu Dhabi

Silver cabs are one of the most iconic sights on the streets of Abu Dhabi. Look a little closer though and occasionally you’ll notice some taxis have a pink light instead of the normal yellow one. This signals that the driver is a lady and usually you have to phone ahead to book one. Female cab drivers are a breed apart; in most cultures around the world, cabs are mainly driven by men. So seeing a fleet of ladies don the uniform in the capital begs the question, ‘What’s it really like to be a female taxi driver’?

We met up with Elsa Fortuna, a cheerful Filipino lady who has been residing in the city for nearly seven years. Having originally relocated here to work with an Emirati family almost two and half years ago, she joined TransAd to take up the cause of driving ladies around the city’s streets safely.

‘I really love my job,’ she smiles to Time Out Abu Dhabi. ‘I’m my own boss!’ We spent a day with Elsa to find out what goes down when she’s driving around the city.

A typical day with elsa

The morning shift
And work begins…
The alarm goes off at 5.45 am. Elsa wakes up begrudgingly -she’s not a fan of early rising. Clambering out of the room she shares with two other ladies, she starts getting ready for work. Due to the fact she shares everything with her roommates, sometimes it takes much longer to get through a morning shower because she also has to share the bathroom with ten other ladies from other rooms who rise early as well.

Before leaving her accommodation, she has a bite to eat and downs her much needed cup of coffee. ‘I try to stay positive all the time, even if I am tired,’ she tells us.

The key slips into the ignition and Elsa is off for another day at work with the music blaring. ‘I enjoy being alone in the car in the morning, because I can play my music,’ she says. ‘I love two radio stations: 92.8 FM and 103.8 FM. One of them is an Arabic station.’ Our curiosity is thoroughly piqued so we ask why she enjoys Arabic music, if she can’t understand the words? This prompts a laugh and a dance. ‘I like the music, it makes me shake! Not all of them are great, but I really like the fast ones.’

After setting off, Elsa usually has to check in at company headquarters, although she has days where can start picking up passengers as soon as she hits the road. As a pink taxi driver, she is strictly forbidden from picking up male passengers, ‘but it is okay for me to take families sometimes.’

Most of the rides she gives are to people who call and book through the company or call her directly. But of course, doing such a unique job draws attention. ‘People always take pictures of me,’ she laughs. ‘They make me feel like a celebrity.’

Lunch time
Taking a brea
Elsa’s day is broken up with a four hour lunch break. From 1-5pm, she has time to herself.

‘It is also great to have a car because that means I can go eat wherever I want,’ she gleefully reveals.

Years ago, having a three or four hour lunch break was quite common in Abu Dhabi, especially for the service industry. Often, workers were very far from their accommodation and the heat was so intense around midday that most managing boards preferred to give their employees a few hours to rest and eat, before starting the evening shift refreshed. Nowadays, these timetables are most commonly found with labourers in the construction industry, although there are some private companies that still function with those hours.

By her own admission, Elsa loves to eat. ‘It’s one of my favourite things to do,’ she laughs, ‘whenever I have free time, I go and eat somewhere.’ And this lady in the pink cab loves fast food; some of her favourite places are KFC and Popeyes. ‘Although I really love to eat at these places, I know they are bad for you so now I am trying to change my lifestyle and I only have them two times a week.’

The good thing though is that she can have a nice nap after a busy morning chauffeuring ladies around town. ‘Some days I go home and rest for an hour or two. But sometimes I spend the time catching up with friends or just doing errands, like getting groceries or laundry.’ Because her night shift often finishes late, she has to get her errands done during the day.

The evening shift
On the road again…
Once 5pm rolls around, Elsa is back on the road for her evening shift. Most of her passengers are either customers calling through the company or people she already knows. ‘I’m lucky I have a lot of passengers that know me, and many times I have to say no to people because I cannot pick them up.’

At night, things quieten down a little as there is less traffic on the road. Still though, Elsa does have a certain quota to fulfill during the month so some days she works from 5am until well past midnight. ‘But most days are not that stressful, and I can usually be finished and back at my accommodation before midnight.’

On those nice nights where she has finished her necessary quota and her phone has stopped ringing, Elsa will make an effort to meet up with her friends to catch up before heading to bed. ‘Having close friends is very important, we support and love each other. It’s very nice.’ Having a car also gives her the freedom to go meet them. Once she is done for the day she heads back home and the illuminated light is switched off.

Her day might seem really tiring and daunting, but Elsa reassures us that her situation is much better than most. ‘I don’t have family back home, except for my siblings, so I am not always heartbroken about living here. I really love Abu Dhabi and I love my job because I have freedom, I am my own boss!’ So if you ever climb into a pink cab and notice the name Elsa Fortuna on the console, have a conversation with her. Her infectious optimism will undoubtedly creep into your day.