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28 March 2024

Now dial-a-taxi in Sharjah

Passengers will be charged Dh5 for the booking service, which is available by calling 600 545455. (FILE)

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By Staff

transport authority in Sharjah city on Sunday launched a dispatch service that allows residents to call for a taxi.

"It will take between five and 15 minutes for the taxi to arrive at their destination," said Abdullah Mohammad Al Zarri, Director General of Sharjah Transport, adding that the arrival time depends on the amount of traffic congestion in the neighbourhood.

Passengers will be charged Dh5 for the booking service, which is available by calling 600 545455.
The Dh5 booking charge comes as an additional fee for passengers, who are already burdened with a Dh10 minimum fare.

"We are currently at a trial phase and so far have equipped 1,125 taxis with the internal vehicle device. But we expect that by August, all the taxis belonging to the five franchise companies will be equipped with the service,” Al Zarri said.

Currently, taxis from Sharjah Taxi, Emirates Taxi and Union Taxi will be dispatched by Sharjah Transport.

The booking service will operate for 16 hours per day from 7am to 11pm, and once the three-month trial phase ends in April, transport officials intend to extend it to a 24-hour service.

There are two shifts of four employees that operate the taxi dispatch services, who are all bilingual in the Arabic and English language.

Once passengers call for a taxi, the operator will notify a taxi that is in the nearest location and they will then be given the taxi’s vehicle number and a reference number.

Passengers are requested to wait outside their homes for the taxi, but if they are unable to find it they are urged to contact the dispatch operator who will then follow up on the taxi’s whereabouts.