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29 March 2024

Video: What Dubai taxi app is driving at... Help RTA help you

Published
By Majorie van Leijen

Complaints about taxi services in Dubai accounted for the highest percentage among all public transportation complaints until recently.



Video by Ajanta Paul


Complaints were on Twitter, sent to newspapers, addressed to taxi drivers as well as sent to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), which oversees taxi movement in the emirate.

In response, the RTA rolled out a number of initiatives over the past few years, and the results are now showing. “We have seen a reduction of 70 per cent in the number of complaints about taxis in Dubai, said Adel Shakri, Director, Transportation Systems, RTA.

Hala Taxi

The main reason for the decrease in the number of complaints is the introduction of Hala taxi, he explained. Hala taxi is a taxi fleet additional to the existing one, only responding to bookings made through the Dispatch Center.

“This service gives people more security about their taxi booking. Previously, it was reported that taxis could take a very long time to find the customer, or not show up at all. The Hala Taxi is dedicated to the booking and cannot pick up passengers on the way.”

Smart Taxi

There is more clarity when it comes to the destination of taxi drivers with the introduction of the smart light on the taxi roof, explained Ahmed Mahboob, Director, Customer Service, RTA.

The smart light informs potential customers whether the taxi is booked, available, occupied or out of service. “Previously, it was not possible for customers to see the status of a taxi. Although a taxi might be on its way to a customer, a person on the street might feel that the taxi passed him without a reason.

“We received many complaints about taxis not stopping when flagged down. With the smart light it is visible whether the taxi is free.”

The Taxi App

Another contribution to the taxi services is the smart app, which gained its reputation due to its distinctive ‘shake it’ feature. “You used to shake your hands to stop a taxi, now you will need to shake your phone," said Adel.

Once the app is opened, a person can book a taxi by sending a message or by simply shaking the phone. The nearest taxi driver will receive the request and the details of the customer’s whereabouts, enabled by GPS. Once the driver accepts the request, the customer receives a message with a picture of the taxi driver, his location and the time he will need to reach the location.
Since the launch of the app on June 17 this year, 42,000 people have downloaded the application and 12,000 have used the service, said Adel.

Currently, the taxi fleet of Dubai adds up to 8,997 taxis operated by 20,000 drivers. All are linked to the new technology of the application, and any taxi can reply to the request, as long as it is nearest to the customer.

The total number of Hala Taxis is 450, and this number will probably be increased next year, said Adel.

“Hala Taxi responds to 30 per cent of all the requests that come in at the Dispatch Center,” he explained.

Reader’s response

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