UAE | Traffic and Transport
More than 70 per cent of Abu Dhabi residents depend on taxis
Abu Dhabi is one of the rare cities in the world where more than 70 per cent of the residents depend on taxis for transportation.
- By Binsal Abdul Kader, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:39 June 8, 2008
Abu Dhabi is one of the rare cities in the world where more than 70 per cent of the residents depend on taxis for transportation.
It has created an impression that there is shortage of taxis even if there was enough supply of taxis since 2006, Khalid Saleh Al Rashedi, General Manager of TransAD told Gulf News on Sunday on the sidelines of a press conference to announce a reward for an honest taxi driver.
Only two among 10 people use taxis in modern cities but in Abu Dhabi eight among 10 people depend on taxis due to lack of mass transport systems like public buses, he said.
About 90 buses are equal to 1,200 taxis, said Quentin Fulljames Curtis, Transport Advisor at TransAD while referring to the introduction of 90 buses in the emirate this month by Department of Transport.
The officials said introduction of buses will reduce the complaints of shortage of taxis. "Buses will take away a large chunk of passengers from taxis," they said.
Although there was a plan to reduce the number of taxis in the emirate in 2006, about 50 per cent increase in population in the past two years jeopardised all plans, said Al Rashedi.
In 2006, the demand for taxis was estimated at 7,000 but now about 9,000 taxis in the emirate carry about million passengers a day. Out of more than 8,000 old taxis, only 790 were phased out.
"At the end of this month the fleet of new taxis will become 2000", he added.
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