Dubai RTA to shift 80% taxis to e-hailing

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has endorsed a plan for a gradual shift from conventional taxi’s street-hail to e-hail services, aiming for an 80 per cent e-hail adoption rate in the coming years. The decision stems from the success of Hala e-hailing rides, which accounted for 30 per cent of all taxi trips in Dubai in 2022, RTA announced on Sunday

Mattar Al Tayer, RTA director-general and chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, said: "E-hailing has emerged as the most efficient means of matching taxi supply with demand and providing customers with hassle-free, efficient taxi services. E-hail taxi service boosts the efficiency of taxi operations in Dubai by streamlining the process of locating and booking rides electronically. This leads to a higher percentage of trips with shorter waiting times of 3.5 minutes or less, thereby increasing customer happiness and satisfaction while reducing wasted mileage, fuel consumption, and carbon emissions," he added.

Al Tayer further explained: “The shift from street-hailed taxi trips to e-hailing services aligns with leading global practices of the industry, as exemplified by Singapore, where 80 per cent of taxi services are facilitated through e-hailing. The initiative was further supported by an in-depth analysis and assessment of Hala, the e-hailing company, to identify the operational network, organisational structure and technological capabilities as Hala has experienced steady growth since its launch in 2019 in its user base, accounting for 11 per cent of total taxi trips in 2020, increasing to 18 per cent in 2021, and reaching 30 per cent in 2022. It is noteworthy that the 11,662 taxis operating in Dubai during the previous year completed 105 million trips,” explained Al Tayer.

The plan also encompasses designating only those zones where e-hail services are accessible, allocating parking spaces for both street-hail taxis and e-hail vehicles, expanding parking availability in high-demand areas, and identifying these parking spaces on the RTA and Hala smart apps.

How to book?

1. Users need to download the Careem app on their mobile devices and set up a personal account. They can then choose Hala vehicles from the available options and confirm their pick-up location.

2. Once the destination and preferred payment method are selected, users can tap the ‘Yalla’ button to finalise the booking.

3. A text message containing the driver and booking information follows shortly.

The e-hail service provides a range of features, such as securing bookings in less than 10 seconds, locating the closest available vehicle, and monitoring the journey in real-time. Additionally, the service streamlines the process for drivers by allowing them to receive user requests via the e-hail system, eliminating the need for roaming.