Dubai: The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) on Wednesday said taxis requested by mall managements from the call centre cost more but there is no change in the regular fare structure.
The statement comes following reports that there is a change in fares if taxis are hired from malls depending on the time of the day or night.
Abdullah Al Mahri, Director of Transport Activities and Monitoring at RTA’s Public Transport Agency, said there are no changes in the meter rates or tariffs for the taxis.
“The fare for taxis that are hailed on the street starts at Dh5 during daytime and the fare starts at Dh5.50 from 10pm to 6am. However, the fares vary for taxis that are dispatched from the RTA’s Dispatch Centre [call centre],” said Al Mahri.
He added that most mall administrators request taxis from dispatch centres to ensure a steady flow of taxis, which could be a reason why some taxis charge fares that are applicable for taxis booked from the dispatch centres.
“Should there be a demand for taxis from the mall, then the dispatch centre does dispatch taxis to the mall and the dispatch rates will be applicable,” he said.
The taxis sent from the dispatch centre between 10am and 4pm as well as from 8pm to 10pm charge a starting rate of Dh8. During peak hours — from 7am to 10am and 4pm to 8pm — the meter starts at Dh12. For taxis booked between 10pm and 6am, the meter starts at Dh9.
According to the RTA, commuters can find out whether a particular taxi will charge a dispatch fare or a regular fare from taxi meters and are free to opt out of the ride and wait for a regular taxi.
Several commuters have also complained that taxis charge dispatch rates even from metro stations.
However, Al Mahri insists that taxis that are hailed from metro stations also should start at Dh5 if they are on street before 10pm and Dh5.50 from 10pm to 6am.
He said that dispatch taxis will not be sent to a metro station unless a commuter has asked for it.
“Many a times, the passenger who books the taxi may not wait till the taxi arrives and hence when the taxi reaches at the requested station, the meter will display the dispatch rate. The taxi driver in this case is supposed to contact the Operation Control Centre and cancel the booking informing about the unavailability of the requester,” he added.
He urged commuters to lodge complaints if they find any discrepancies in the fares.
“Commuters are welcome to lodge a complaint through our call centre on 8009090 by mentioning the taxi number,” he said.
Box
Regular taxis
Dh5: 6am to 10pm
Dh5.50: 10pm to 6am
Dispatched taxis
Dh8: 10am-4pm and 8pm-10pm
Dh9: 10pm to 6am
Dh12: 7am-10am and 4pm-8pm
