DUBAI 5 May 2017: The number of riders using taxi service in Dubai has clocked 44,883,737 riders who were served in 25,795,251 trips during the first quarter of 2017.
“Lifting 44,883,737 riders during the first quarter of this year is indicative of the huge demand for the service. It is a result of improvements we regularly introduce to taxis such as the offering of multiple means of fare payment (cash or credit cards), or training cab drivers to improve their attitudes and practices, said the CEO of Public Transport Agency at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) Abdullah Yousef Al Ali.
This enormous number of riders was served in 25,795,251 trips run during the first quarter of 2017 by franchise companies, which have 10,038 vehicles in operation. The service breakdown during the said period was as follows:
- Dubai Taxi served 21,050,701 riders in 12,981,104 trips.
- Arabia Taxi lifted 4,413,867 in 2,536,705 trips. Cars Taxi served 9,241,253 riders in 5,311,065 trips.
- Metro Taxi served 3,471,457 riders in 1,995,090 trips,
- National Taxi lifted 6,534,339 riders in 3,755,367 trips, and
- City Taxi offered services to 172,121 riders in 98,920 trips.
590k paid taxi fare by credit, NOL cards
The number taxi fare payment transactions using credit/NOL cards in taxicabs of franchise companies in Dubai has amounted to 590,585 transactions from Jan 2016 to the end of April 2017.
During the first third of this year, taxi fare payment using credit/NOL card clocked 324,255 transactions, whereas the number amounted to 266,330 transactions over the entire 2016.
“This initiative has been rolled out following the partnership between the RTA and Network International LLC; the provider of e-payment devices fitted to taxicabs in Dubai. Recording a number of transactions as high as 590,585 during 2016 and the first third of 2017 reflects the uptake of the service considering the expanding use of such cards by the public as a quick and handy means of payment for various services,” said Adel Shakri, Director of Transportation Systems, RTA Public Transport Agency.
This service responds to the needs of the Smart City initiative of the Dubai Government. Payment of taxi fare using credit/NOL cards is now accessible in about 8,000 cabs.
“As we are keen on enhancing the efficiency of this advanced service, we have felicitated several cab drivers who have achieved the highest score in the use of the e-payment transactions in their taxicabs. The objective of honoring these cab drivers is to encourage cabbies to make it easy for taxi riders to pay the applicable fares through credit/NOL cards, and avoid excuses hindering the use of such technology.
The awards also foster a competitive atmosphere between cab drivers of franchise companies; which will ensure maximum accessibility to the service as it eliminates the problem of lacking cash amounts for payment of fares,” added Sharkri.
“The RTA spares no effort in bringing happiness to riders of public transport means in general and taxis in particular. Taxis offer some privacy sought by certain customer segments. The RTA is considering charting out plans covering all taxicabs in Dubai in a way that adds to the convenience of residents, visitors and tourists of the Emirate,” concluded the Director of Transportation Systems.
By Sheena Amos