Emirate car ban on menial workers

Sharjah, one of the seven emirates that makes up the UAE, is to bar workers in certain jobs from applying for driving licenses.

The ban will cover 86 categories of mainly menial jobs - including cooks, housemaids, gardeners, and tailors.

It was brought in by Sharjah's police traffic department to curb congestion and pollution.



The impact of the ban on workers may be compounded by the poor state of public transport in the emirate.

Many, if not most, of those hit by the driving ban will be foreign workers in low-paid, unskilled jobs.

Driving licence applications would still be accepted from those with university degrees.