Dubai: Taxi passengers will now be able to pay via Nol, debit and credit cards, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced on Wednesday.
An extra charge of Dh2 for credit and debit cards and Dh1 for Nol cards will be levied for every transaction.
“Currently 20 taxis in Dubai are accepting cards. In two months, another 1,000 taxis at Dubai Airport will start accepting payments via cards. By mid-2015 we hope to equip all taxis in Dubai with the new system,” said Dr Yousuf Al Al, CEO of the RTA’s Public Transport Agency.
The RTA has joined hands with payment solutions provider Network International to fit a GPRS-enabled system in all taxis.
“The way it will work is that all taxis will be fitted with a system with GPRS connecting taxi meters to a central server which will immediately process taxi fare payments,” said Bhairav Trivedi, CEO Network International.
Taxi users will also be able to pay fares through mobiles via near field communication (NFC).
All that commuters will have to do is tap their mobile on the taxi metre and it will automatically deduct the fare from their phone.
“For payment via NFC-enabled mobile phones, customers can purchase a special NFC-enabled SIM card from their mobile service provider.
“Once the new SIM card is placed in the phone and the account is topped up, the mobile will work just like a Nol card and can be used to make fare payments,” said Trivedi.
The NFC Nol accounts can be topped up at ticket counters at Dubai Metro or bus stations. “The top-up can also be done online at www.nol.ae through the unique number that will appear on mobile screens once the NFC SIM is placed in the smartphone,” added Trivedi.
