Public able to pre-book all taxis

Dubai: All taxis in Dubai will be connected to a centralised reservation and distribution system to meet the increasing demand for the service, said a senior official.

Currently only around 3,000 vehicles run by Dubai Transport Corporation are connected to the reservation system.

Once the new system is in place a further 3,000 taxis run by franchise companies will also be connected.

Mohammad Obaid Al Mulla, Chief Executive Officer of the Public Transport Corporation at the Roads and Transport Authority said: "The system will contribute to connecting around 6,000 taxis to Dubai Transport Corporation and franchise companies with the satellite control system."

He said that the pre-booked taxi service had witnessed a huge growth as the call centre receives more than 12,000 calls daily, this was in addition to the online reservations which it received for taxi bookings.

Al Mulla said the Public Transport Corporation had developed a control system for its fleet that contains around 3,200 taxis and 102 buses through the use of modern equipment and had developed satellite monitoring.

The Corporation has invested Dh25 million to develop and improve its reservation and distribution service.

This includes purchasing new database analysis systems and programs, entering digital maps across the UAE and upgrading them periodically every six months, this occurs through the employment of qualified manpower who collect and analyse the data.