Thread by @EdClowes

New: Less than three months after Uber acquired Careem for $3.1 billion, their drivers in the UAE continue to work daily shifts as long as 20 hours.

This is the story of how companies shift the blame and drivers risk everything to build a life back home: bit.ly/2MshqGV

Everyone who has lived in the UAE for long enough has seen their taxi driver fall asleep at the wheel.

Over the last few months, I've spoken to drivers, officials, legal experts, and road safety advocates to understand why this happens.

What I found was a culture of disregard for driver safety, both among the drivers and the private companies that employ them. I found a system of murky employment contracts that drivers enter into with these companies, and a regulator that failed to adequately enforce the law.

Drivers have little reason to stop working after 12 hours: Often saddled with debt, their families are thousands of miles away and few have any money for a life outside of their car.

To make this all worth it, drivers will work for 18 hours a day to maximise their income.

I couldn't find one example of a private limousine company working to curb this behaviour, while Uber and Careem - who do not employ any drivers themselves - blamed the limousine businesses.

This problem isn't unique to Uber and Careem drivers - it exists all across the UAE.

But many drivers are on steep commission targets, and the more you work, the more you can earn.

Experts say this leads to dangerously long days which put everyone at risk.

I'd appreciate you reading our story here: bit.ly/2MshqGV