Dubai: Passengers in Dubai can now book all taxis operating in the city through Careem app, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced on Sunday.
RTA signed a deal with Careem, one of Dubai’s popular private online taxi booking platforms, in October, allowing the ride-hailing app to provide taxi bookings in Dubai.
Until now, Careem only offered limousine services, which cost 30 per cent more than the regular taxis.
With the agreement coming into effect, Careem now offers booking facilities for all 10,000 taxis operated by six franchises in addition to the 4,700 limousines or luxury cabs that it offered previously.
The app allows passengers to not only book a taxi but also track the taxi movement live as well as checking the details of their bookings.
“Activating the online taxi booking service via Careem app is within the framework of the smart city initiatives and the open data law, and is part of RTA’s strategy to deliver premium services to tourists and residents,” said Adel Shakri, Director of Transportation Systems at RTA.
This is the first time RTA has allowed a private operator to provide taxi booking in Dubai, which is part of RTA’s efforts to offer more options to passengers.
“RTA provides multiple channels for booking taxis in Dubai including the Booking and Dispatch Centre (04-2080808), Smart Taxi app and RTA Dubai app. All these platforms would be running alongside the Careem app,” he said.
He added that the activation of the online taxi booking service via Careem would boost the Dubai integrated transport platform project, which is currently being undertaken by RTA.
“The project supports the acceleration of the technological infrastructure of online mobility booking, where as activation of Careem contributes to RTA’s role in supporting the drive of the Dubai Government towards smart mobility,” said Shakri.
Calling the initiative a milestone, Bassel Al Nahlaoui, Vice-President of Business Development and Government Relations, Careem, said: “Alongside the RTA, Careem has co-led a pioneering way forward — the first partnership between regulatory authorities and a ride-hailing app to increase access to transportation services.”
