Thirsty? Dubai cabs may serve chilled water

If a commuter took a cab from the airport, he would be offered the possibility of purchasing cold water, of which the price would be added to the taxi fare.

This was two years ago, and the initiative disappeared after that.

During summer, a thirsty taxi commuter in Dubai will not be hard to find. Flagging a taxi down requires one to stand outdoors. With a bit of bad luck, this might take some time, and by the time the passenger takes his seat in the taxi, she is sure to be sweaty, and perhaps thirsty.

Jennifer Wilfred, a British national residing in Dubai said: “I can recall many instances where I had to stand in the heat for more than 10 minutes and not always do I carry a full bottle of water on me. I think it would be great to have the option of buying one in the taxi.”

“I would definitely make use of the service,” said another commuter who was waiting for a cab in the heat.

Total operational revenues of the RTA-affiliated Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC) clocked Dh1.093 billion in 2012. While a pilot project offering water for sale in taxis was initiated last year, the programme hasn’t seen an overall rollout so far.

“This was a pilot project, and we are still analysing the results,” said Zakia Al Musharrakh of DTC.

“It is a cooperation between DTC and Al Ain Water, so we are discussing the benefits for both parties at the moment.”

According to Zakia, cooled water for purchase might come back to all taxis in Dubai. “The trial was only in airport taxis, but we are looking at the option of introducing it in all taxis,” she said.

However, thirsty cab users will have to wait at least until next year, as the service will not be launched earlier than 2014.

The pilot project included the installation of water coolers and water bottles in 350 airport taxis in the year 2011.

“The company will provide mini water coolers along with water bottles for use in our taxicabs and the performance of the operation will be monitored with a view to improving the service offered,” said Abdul Aziz Malik, the CEO of DTC at the time of the launch of the pilot project.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.