By Farkhunda Ali
Muslim Link Staff Writer
He sets his own hours. He determines his own salary. He makes it to every Friday prayer and takes the evening off for family events. The best aspect about his job is “being his own boss.”
Hassan Abdur-Raheem is a Washington, D.C. licensed taxi cab driver. He upgraded his taxi cab three years ago. The insurance on his cab is comparable to what he was paying on his regular vehicle.
He takes time between his travels to visit the nearest Masjid to make his daily prayers. He is able to make it home to have dinner with his family every day.
Abdur-Raheem did not resort to taxi cab driving due to lack of abilities to find employment in an office setting.
He possesses a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from Almeda University in Idaho. He held several positions in corporate America.
Nine years ago, Abdur-Raheem picked up some part-time hours as a newly licensed taxi driver while teaching at a DC public school full time. He said there was a tremendous amount of pressure in the education field. In addition, there was little flexibility to take time off for religious prayers or unexpected family emergencies.
Eventually, Abdur-Raheem decided he wanted to take the wheels of his own destiny and in 1998 started driving his cab full-time.
In order to establish security in his new position, he purchased a new cab from the Yellow Cab Company. He said he wanted to have a dependable car because his taxi is the only vehicle he owns.
Abdur-Raheem said drivers may either rent or own a taxi cab. He said individuals have to decide which works better for them.
“It costs more per week to rent than to buy it and you will never own it,” said Abdur-Raheem.
Abdur-Raheem said the process of obtaining a taxi cab license in DC was painless three years ago. When he wanted to start driving a taxi, he took a 2-week required course at the University of District of Columbia (UDC), and then took an exam with the DC Taxi Cab Commission.
He said the Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) checked his criminal and driving records. After providing proof of certifications, test scores, and registration of the taxi cab, he was given the license instantly.
Abdur-Raheem said a smart taxi driver will learn how to make more money in less time. He said he generally goes to areas with high volumes during rush hours.
“You have to learn how to drive a taxi. If you come out here haphazardly, without any knowledge of the streets, you may not be able to make any money,” said Abdur-Raheem.
Without mentioning his exact salary, Abdur-Raheem said he is very comfortable in his life. He owns a house and a new taxi. He is paying for his children’s education in college. He takes regular vacations. He is able to take time off to make it to his children’s soccer games. He is also able to leave to go out of town unexpectedly without having to worry about paying his bills.
Abdur-Raheem said the best part about his job is “independence.”
“I love self-empowerment. I choose which days and how many hours I will work. It is great to control your life without having someone else determine your entire day or week or life,” said Abdur-Raheem.
While on the road, Abdur-Raheem is constantly busy receiving the radio dispatch calls. He said the dispatcher line is a worthwhile investment. For him, it guarantees clients rather than looking for passengers on the congested streets in downtown DC.
He travels through the DC Metro Region during the day. He said one of his clients recently asked him to drive to Atlantic City, New Jersey.
During his long travels, he keeps his clients entertained with small talks that often turn into long debates. His identification card hanging on the rear view mirror attracts most of the attention. He often gets glares of hysteria. Customers often ask him, “your name is Hassan Abdur-Raheem and you don’t have an accent.”
Abdur-Raheem uses this opportunity to talk about his conversion to Islam while emphasizing the importance of the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to him. He said he realized Americans are generally afraid of what they do not know. Once someone takes out time in a non-threatening environment to teach them something positive about Islam, Americans are willing to listen and understand.
He said taxi cab drivers have an open opportunity to give dawah by showing their own example and by educating others on the true principles of Islam.
Abdur-Raheem said, “As a Muslim-taxi cab driver or not-we should always try to give a good representation of Islam.”
Abdur-Raheem said one thing he is most concerned about is the negligence of other drives on the streets. Driving all day with people causing unreasonable accidents puts a burden on taxi cab drivers. He said these types of road conditions present obstacles for drivers who are trying to protect their and the passengers lives on the road.
“My life is at risk everyday with the way people drive,” said Abdur-Raheem.
Abdur-Raheem estimated approximately three-fourths of the DC taxi cab drivers are Muslims. He told the Muslim Link he foresees the transformations in the taxi cab business will have a negative impact on many of the DC licensed taxi cab owners.
He speculates the taxi cab business will take a 360 degree turn after the District of Columbia establishes laws that are currently being discussed. There is more than one law being debated at Mayor Adrian Fenty’s Office.
One law that is already in place requires all DC taxi cab drivers to have DC tags beginning with the letter “H” to signify it is a DC registered Taxi Cab. This presents a challenge for the several taxi cab owners from Virginia and Maryland who operated a taxi in the District for several years. Now, all DC Taxi Cab drivers are required to become DC residents in order to receive their “H” tags. This DC residency requirement will present obstacles for many who live outside of the state, but run their business in the capitol.
“I’ve lived in Maryland for years. I’m not going to move to DC to renew my registration next year,” said Abdur-Raheem.
Many taxi cab drivers are opposing another law that will limit their independence.
Since 1930’s, DC Taxi Cab drivers were compensated based on a zone system. It did not matter how many miles one zone covers-whether it is 2 or 20 blocks-fare charges were assessed based on the completion of zones rather than miles.
The District is now proposing a new meter system, changing the zone rates to a flat pick-up rate of $4.00, and assessing 25 cents every sixth of a mile. Many old taxi cab drivers are saying the government is trying to interfere in the lives of the big money collectors. The new law requires all existing drivers to purchase and install a costly meter system.
Mayor Fenty is at the verge of turning the District like any other cosmopolitan city. Many critics in the taxi business say this is going to turn the taxi cab drivers away from the business totally.
“The government is trying to change the taxi system so that entrepreneurs will have to give up ownership and work for another company. I enjoy running an independent business. The law is going to turn me away,” said Abdur-Raheem.
Abdur-Raheem, 50, is married and lives with his wife in Capital Heights, Maryland. He is a father of five girls. He enjoys spending time with his family and taking vacations twice a year.
On his days off, he writes and edits articles for the DC Professional Taxi Cab Drivers’ Association (DCPTCA) Newsletter. As an editor of the DCPTCA, he explores his writing hobbies while addressing important issues affecting taxi cab drivers and passengers on a daily basis.
