Dubai: An Emirati professor has become the talk of the town after he worked as a Dubai taxi driver.

Speaking to Gulf News, Ammar Shams, who teaches family law at the British University in Dubai, said he worked as a taxi driver for two months in order to fulfill an unlikely desire: “To interact with people randomly and see how they view Dubai.”

Shams, who speaks impeccable English, said, “I longed to do this, even before I became an academic. I wanted to engage with people from different backgrounds, talk to them on mutual grounds and in an informal way so there would be no filters to the conversations.”

The mission was not as simple as he thought it would be.

“I actually had to undergo a two-week training course. My batch mates – there were 34 of them – were all Arabic speaking and we learnt everything from road safety and first aid to etiquette and body hygiene. We were even tested for English language skills and familiarity with the roads. We had to follow routes and identify areas using a simulator,” he let on.

Shams recalled that they were very memorable days as he forged some “great bonds of friendship” during the training.

“Among my batch mates were two full-fledged lawyers from Egypt and four engineers from Algeria, all wanting to be taxi drivers here to fulfill the proverbial Dubai dream,” he said.

Among the many stories he gathered from his classmates, one particularly stood out.

“Apparently a taxi driver sharing the accommodation of a classmate once met with an accident with another vehicle. The driver of the other vehicle, an Emirati, immediately came out of the car, apologised and claimed the mistake was his. It turned out that the motorist was a VVIP. But as he insisted, it didn’t matter who he was, it was a question of right versus wrong. That’s why Dubai is what it is, the taxi driver concluded,” narrated Shams.

The professor also vividly remembers the excitement of getting his permit after the training, donning the taxi driver’s uniform and going for his first ride.

“I was like a school boy all over again. I took the taxi from Muhaisnah and went to Studio City, where I picked up two Indian expats. They were maintenance crew and wanted to be dropped off in Motor City,” he recollected, adding that he was very thrilled when he was able to crack the payment mechanism at one go and provide the first receipt.

Shams said he worked on a 12-hour shift from 4pm to 4am, ferrying around 20 passengers daily. But his precious earning from the trips was not the money from the fare charged, but the rich repository of stories he was able to gather from the passengers.

A student who turned crimson after discovering that the he, the cabbie, dropping her off to Sobha Hartland from Downtown was on the board of trustees at her college; a Filipina’s heartbreaking confession that it was the first time she was speaking to an Emirati; a half-hour wait in the queue that he endured to pick up a passenger, only to drop him off a couple blocks away, thus making the long conversation he was hoping for a non-starter; the stories are many and delightful.

“I cherish these experiences deeply. Had it not been for the taxi rides, I would never have met people from so many different nationalities, with such diverse backgrounds and purposes. And you know what the Dubai ice-breaker is? The question: Where are you from? It is a magical conversation starter,” he shared.

Understandably, Shams is thinking of putting the stories together in a book, something he is exploring at the ongoing Emirates Airline Literature Festival.

“If it happens, well and good. Otherwise too, it is fine as the whole experience met three needs which are fundamental to all that I do,” he said.

Asked what these needs are, he said: “Whatever I do, I must learn something from it; add value in some way; and it should be a fun experience. Many years ago, this is what I pledged to myself no matter how I chose to live my life.”

The choices that Shams has made over the years have been conscious, curious and inspiring. Although he had a highly rewarding career in the corporate world, first in oil & gas and then banking, he went on to become an academic at the age 41.

From advising CEOs to teaching college students, the shift was something he thoroughly enjoyed after getting a masters degree in international comparative law. At 58, he secured a PhD in Gender and Sharia law, attending his graduation in London a month after completing his stint as a taxi driver. He taught Arab History and Ethics earlier, but he currently focuses on family law.

Nothing excites him more than a genuine engagement with family, friends and people in general. Even when he had to take a break during his 12-hour daily shift as a taxi driver, he would make sure he had lunch with his mother and siblings and dinner at home with his wife, a psychologist and executive coach.

“We are not into hedonistic pursuits. We just love the simple way of life,” he said.

It goes without saying that for Shams, this is where the fun lies, with so much to imbibe and impart, the three principles he vouches for.

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