Tough times for souq drivers

It’s 5am and the drivers start to gather at Doha’s oldest flea market in Najma, the Souq Haraj, waiting for prospective customers. Sitting on used mattresses and makeshift cushions – abundant at the used-item haven - the idyllic crowd quickly swells to hundreds.

Others rest on the back of their old leased pick-ups ready to transport furniture of all kinds to any part of the country for fees calculated in terms of the weight and the distance.

“There hasn’t been much business since the beginning of 2009,” a freelancer, the Pakistani owner of a rusting 1982 Nissan pickup – the oldest in the periphery - said.

“It seems the overall work in the country has slowed,” another called out. “There are more public malls now offering everything under one roof,” a third chimed in.

In 2008, according to the freelance drivers, there used to be at least a trip a day earning them QR150-QR200 on an average. The frequency has since fallen to sometimes a trip a week.

“And there’s more competition now. More employees are turning to freelancing because of the flexible work hours and the freedom to be your own boss,” said a driver who bought the ‘freedom’ after serving at a construction company for seven years.

Almost all the trucks are leased. The sponsors are paid QR50-100 per month for the residency rights. Some also share profits.

Others only see the sponsors once a year when their visa expires.

“Every day we wait and then go home at 1pm. We pray, eat, sleep and then wait again from 4pm to 9pm.

Each time a visitor enters the market, my hopes rise at the prospect of making that QR50 for a trip,” a Bangladeshi driver said. Transporting a set of sofa, bedding and a TV shelf to the second floor of a building in Mansoura only costs a buyer QR50.

Trips to farther destinations, such as Abu Hamour, cost QR200 or more. “Up until last year, I was making QR3,000-4,000 a month. I live in a room with 10 other people. After paying the rent, food, maintenance and sponsor fees, I was able to send home a couple of thousand riyals,” a Pakistani, a veteran of 10 years, explained.

“Now-a-days I wait for as long as three days before getting a trip and barely make QR2,000 a month,” the father-of-six in his late fifties, added.

With the souq’s status changing to a major centre for furniture after a revamp few years ago and mushrooming of public malls, the number of buyers has come down as well, further reducing income prospects for the drivers.

“Our demand is simple. We request companies with transportation needs to hire us. We have valid driving licences and a thorough knowledge of Qatar’s areas,” the drivers said as if unanimously, and paused.

Their attention was drawn to a slow-moving sedan. All hoped it would pull over next to their vehicles. The car took a painfully long time to pass by, without stopping.