How to digitally book shared taxi in Dubai

Do you enjoy booking your taxi from the comfort of your couch?

It is now possible to do so for water transportation as well.

Dubai Water Taxi is a service that works pretty much in the same way as a regular taxi, but travels over water.

With 29 pickup points, residents are likely to find a spot to get on board near their house.

Moaza Al Marri, Director of Marketing & Corporate Communication, RTA. (Supplied)

It is little more expensive than a regular taxi, but the fare can be shared.

“The water taxi can be shared by a group of people, also if these people do not know each other.

“Arrangements at the pick-up point can be made by the person that booked the taxi: he is in charge and can arrange the ride as he likes," the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) explained earlier.

To make these arrangements as easy as possible, they can be confirmed with some simple clicks online.

It is now possible for Water Taxi riders to log on to RTA’s portal at any time, follow simple and short steps to book rides on the Water Taxi at the time they wish by just a click of a button,” said Moaza Al Marri, Director of Marketing & Corporate Communication, RTA.

How, when, where

The traveller starts with selecting the type of journey; either a commute or charter. When opting for a commute, the user is then prompted to select the pickup point and destination; which will be accompanied by the display of a map showing the route, along with the timing and fare of the journey, explained the RTA.

“Services will be run every 10 minutes starting from 10am up to 9pm, thus the rider will be able to figure out the availability of the Water Taxi along with the estimated arrival time.”

We take the longest possible distance to cover as an example; from Mamzar to Jebel Ali Golf Resort.

How much

The distance will cost the commuter Dh535, and the ride will take 120 minutes.

Payment can be made online, or later, by paying the taxi captain or dropping a visit to one of the Creek Station Customer service offices or Dubai Marina Customer service offices, of which the locations will be mentioned.

An important point to keep in mind is that once the booking has been confirmed, the fee is non-refundable.

The water taxi can be shared by 10 people. On a trip like this, which has the highest fee possible, this would mean a charge of about Dh54 per person.

No Salik

With this trip, the commuter avoids three Salik gates and the cost of petrol for a long-distance drive, the RTA pointed out earlier.

The user will have the option of displaying a Personal Information Page whether as an individual or firm, and can add more personalised information to the favourites such as the extension number or room number in case of hotel residents to enable the call centre communicate with them.

“The new service is intended to streamline the Water Taxi booking experience for the public as part of our efforts to offer superb marine transit services in Dubai. Supporting this sector will add up to the tourist movement and cement the profile of the emirate in this sector which is a key driver of the upswing witnessed by the UAE in general and Dubai in particular,” said Al Marri.

“This service is particularly important during events hosted by individuals or organisations such as hotels and businesses; especially tour operators offering water cruises during conferences, exhibitions and carnivals. At the top of these festivities is the Dubai Shopping Festival, Gitex, The Big 5 Expo, and other events that attract visitors, tourists, business leaders and investors from all corners of the globe.”

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