koquine

Hello all!

I'm new here, got some questions and hope you can help.

My husband has been offered a job in AD which we are very close to accepting. We would be moving with our 2 year old son and I am pregnant due end of oct.
One of my concern is the fact that I don't drive. It's not been a problem in the UK so far,I just walk everywhere for shopping,playgroups, etc. Am I completely insane in thinking that I could just keep doing that in AD?

Also, in terms of housing, I was thinking either city centre or Al Reem since they seem to have most things nearby. Villas further out seem nice, but I am worried I would feel isolated without being able to drive myself.

Thanks for looking and thank you in advance for your response, any advice very welcome!

al dente

You could get a driver?

koquine

Hi,
Yes, I suppose I could. But my question was more to find out whether I would need to, ie can one live without a car in AD?
I am trying to make a budget using the spreadsheet I found on this forum. And trying to limit expenditures. Do I take it you think I definitely need a car?
Thanks

busybee2

to live in ad without a car you would either need to live on a major bus route or near to a major road in order to get a cab. you cannot walk in ad because its too hot, and in some areas there are no pavements.... years ago when i first arrived i had a baby in pushchair and there was no pavements (there are more now) so had to push the buggy through the sand which isnt easy or the alternative in the road, which of course once you see the driving here thats not an option. if you live on al reem then you may get taxis and when the shops open up its ok for popping to the "corner shop" you are better on island. if you look to villas off the island you need a car!

Oyibopeppeh

A colleague of mine who arrived with his wife and new-born were renting an apartment close to AD Mall in Tourist Club Area.

They started off with his missus having her own hire car, but got rid of it after around a month because:

- lack of parking in the city centre, especially difficult with a very young 'un

- it worked out a lot cheaper to use taxis

mathematist

A tricky question initially when you arrive. I know several people who don't drive and get by fine. They use taxis all the time and don't seem to have a problem.

However, I hardly see and westerners use the buses so that's just an observation.

Also, you could get to know one of the female taxi drivers and take their mobile number if you feel more comfortable with a woman driver.

However, do not get too friendly with any driver. Keep conversations to a minimum and don't give much away.

I used a specific taxi driver in my early days, passed his number to other colleagues and friends so gave him more customers. Knew him for about 3 months. He called me up and said he needed 1000 dhs to repair his car and he'd return it in 3 days time. You know where this is going right...

Never heard from him thereafter so you have been warned...

busybee2

i use the buses.......

busybee2

well yes if you are in tca then no need for a car as there is no parking. but in that area you have the buses and the taxis in plenty of supply. obviously different kettle of fish on Al Reem!

Millhouse

and importantly, it's done you no harm whatsoever.

raining

It really will depend on where you choose to live, as others have said. I live off island and a car is essential. I had to do without a car for the first 3 months and I felt very isolated. I did get buses and taxis but because of where I live (Al Zeina) it was a real drag. I quite liked getting the bus into the city but the ones in the city centre are always packed and it just takes ages to get from A to B as compared to a car / taxi. You might be better off with a driver, with children in tow.
I really miss walking around. You can't really do that here, it's too hot for a start. The place is really geared up for motorists. Pavements that exist are poor - very uneven, signs and posts every few steps (for all the motorists) and the kerbs are very high. Plus there's a lot of construction going on around many places you might want to get to. You have to drive to somewhere and then go for a walk, for example, along the Corniche etc. Walking around the city isn't really a pleasant experience. Al Reem could be a good place for you but I'm not sure if anything's opened there yet - nothing was open when we went along for a look two weeks ago. It still looks like a building site to me but I know someone who lives there and she loves her apartment.

busybee2

nope not at all...... my kids occasionally get them back from school etc too! all good life learning skills...... as if they were living in the uk or anywhere they would be using their feet a lot more...... in whatever country we travel to we always use the local public transport.... adds to the fun

Blue Cat

I would pass your driving test before coming out if I was you

raining

Also check out www.abudhabiwoman.com, there is a thread going about living on Reem with positive responses from people who live there.

soukie

You can survive without driving but you need to live in town. Khalydia is a decent area. Don't even consider living off island without a car. Buses in AD are fine - I use them when I have to go somewhere with problem parking (Hamdan area etc) but they do get crowded at times. Females sit at the front of the bus. Taxis are ok too and when I first arrived in AD in the 90s I refused to drive as the driving was so bad and I relied totally on taxis as there were no buses. We lived in the centre of AD so it was easy to take taxis. I only started driving when I needed to take the kids to school.

lullabelle

We lived in khalidiya. I had the car as I commuted to mussafah... I drove kids to school and husband picked them up in a cab, or walked home along the corniche in the winter (took them hours - so many parks and play areas. My kids still go on about their fab walk home from Al Muna.) There were plenty of cabs around and at the weekend we never drove. If I was going to a mall I'd get a cab as parking was usually chaos. My husband never had any probs getting a cab at school pick up time and there's plenty of shade around central AD as the buildings are quite tall and so close together.

Quite a lot of my friends in Dubai and Abu Dhabi survive with one car between the family - it just depends on where you live and if one of the school journeys can be made by the car driver.

There are tons of pavements in Abu Dhabi - maybe not out in the sticks but in town it is pavements-a-go-go. Think normal city. Well, not "normal" but the infrastructure is there! If I had worked in Abu dhabi city itself instead of in the pits of hell I wouldn't have bothered with the car.