Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi residents will be able to travel in luxury cars such as Rolls Royce and Bentley for just Dh40 soon.

TransAD, the taxi regulatory authority in the emirate, announced new regulations for limousine service, which has approved a list of 10 car brands. They are Audi, Bentley, BMW, Cadillac, Cheverolet-Caprice Royal, Jaguar, Lexus, Maybach, Mercedes (all classes except B-Class) and Rolls Royce.

The minimum fare will be Dh40, up to 10km ride, and Dh4 will be charged for each additional kilometre thereafter, said Huda Al Kaabi, senior communication officer at TransAD.

Own tariff

Still, the operator can propose their own tariff based on the standard of the cars but it must get the approval from TransAD, she said.

The limousine service in the emirate was unregulated as there was no particular authority to take care of this sector, Huda said.

Although the regulations came into effect a month ago, TransAD has not announced the number of limousine operators registered under the new scheme or the number of cars started operating in the emirate.

"The companies who registered with us have to make an agreement also. That process is progressing," the official said.

She said the passengers cannot book limousine on the TransAD toll-free number, but each operator will have their own call centre to receive bookings. "The operators are not allowed to work without a booking system."

Minimum number

According to the regulations, operators who can run a minimum number of cars in a particular region of the emirate will be given the licence. The operators should have minimum 25 cars in Abu Dhabi region, 15 in Al Ain and five in Al Gharbia.

Registration of this minimum number of cars costs Dh125,000 (for 25 cars) in Abu Dhabi , Dh75,000 (15 cars) in Al Ain and Dh25,000 (five vehicles) in Al Gharbia.

TransAD will take strict action against limousines operating without a TransAD license, the official said.

"All existing operators should register with us and they cannot renew their vehicle permits from the Traffic Police without TransAD approval," Huda added.