Dubai: As the new school year reopens, the Dubai Taxi Corporation has drummed up its specialised taxi service for students with charges unchanged.
The Corporation, which comes under the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), has started promoting its “In Safe Hands” service on Monday aimed at parents of schoolchildren who do not take school bus transport and are dropped off/picked up by the parents themselves.
The fees remain the same as during the service launch two years ago.
A Corporation supervisor told Gulf News on Monday that the service has received a good response.
“If a parent needs a school taxi service for their children,” said the supervisor, “all they have to do is call the DTC hotline and we will arrange personalised service based on their specific needs.”
A senior DTC official said in March that 75 taxis had been earmarked for the service, including pink taxis for ladies, special needs and regular cabs.
Though the cabs cater to different people, most customers are students. An awareness campaign launched on Monday outlined the benefits of the service.
No application fee is charged for the service. Customers can even opt for a female cabbie for families and children – and payment can be made on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
DTC launched “In Safe Hands Service” in October 2011 in response to public demand and following feasibility studies.
During the launch, the meter opening charge was set at Dh25 with an increment of Dh1.71 per kilometre and 50 fils per each minute of waiting — the same as regular taxicabs. Dh20 will be added to the fare in case of travel to Sharjah.
The same fees apply today, according to a call centre staff.
“There’s no change in fees for this services,” according to a call centre staff, which was confirmed by DTC’s leaflet circulated through the papers on Monday.
.While the service comes at a premium, DTC has assured a safe and exclusive service. As of March this year, parents of 256 students of various age groups have signed up to the service, according to RTA data.
