New Dubai taxi fleet only for pre-booking commuters

Have you ever booked a taxi that never showed up? It might have been hailed by another commuter before it could reach you.

Soon this will not be possible anymore, as flagged taxis will be recognisable by a distinctive set of features.

A dedicated fleet of taxis serving people who call to book will soon be a reality, revealed Youssef Ali, Director Public Transport Agency at the Road and Transport Authority.

He said, “150 new taxis will be added to the existing fleet to serve these customers only. These taxis will look different from the regular taxis and cannot be stopped by regular customers."

It is not clear what the new taxis will look like, and when they will become operational.

The initiative is not the first attempt at helping taxi drivers in meeting booked trips.

An increase in flagged cab fares during peak hours was implemented last year, forming an incentive to taxi drivers who have a lot of options on route and do not always pick up the customer that booked the taxi, it was explained.

In the first half of this year, 2,206,717 bookings were made through the Reservation and Distribution Center, 10 per cent of the total 20.2 million trips
made by Dubai taxis during this period.

A little more than half of the bookings arrived within 20 minutes at the destination. Whether the other half includes the number of non-completed trips is not clear.

It is not only some customers who wait endlessly for taxis that never arrive, but some taxi drivers also end up waiting for customers who would have already taken off, as there are customers who pre-book taxis but will not hesitate to stop any taxi passing by before the booked cab can arrive.
 

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