Special taxi service for Dubai school pickup and drop-offs – all you need to know

Dubai: Can’t pick up your children from school? You can instead pre-book a special taxi service online for school runs in Dubai.

The service is called ‘In Safe Hands’, and it was launched by the Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC) of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) on Tuesday, March 7. Parents can schedule the taxis on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

Taxi fare for the ‘In Safe Hands’ service:

As per DTC’s website – dubaitaxi.ae, here is a breakdown of the taxi’s service charges:

• A refundable deposit of Dh200 has to be paid before the start of the service.
• The opening tariff starts at Dh25 and is calculated at Dh3.67 per kilometre.
• Dh20 fee for entering Sharjah.
• A waiting fee of 50fils per minute.
• Salik charges – which the customer has to pay for.

How to book the taxi service

Before you book the trip, it is important to note that a child who is under the age of 13 years must have a guardian while travelling. This could be a designated guardian travelling with the child or a child above the age of 13.

Here are the steps you need to follow:

Step 1: Download the app and book a taxi
• Download the ‘DTC’ app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
• Open the app and tap on the ‘In Safe Hands’ service on the homepage.
• Tap ‘Book New’.

Step 2: Enter passenger information
• Next, you will be asked – ‘Who is the assigned guardian’? You have two options:
1. A designated guardian is travelling with the child. A guardian must accompany the child if they are less than 13 years old.
2. A child above the age of 13 is the assigned guardian.
Select the option that applies to you.
• Then, enter the guardian’s full name.
• Next, enter the mobile number and Emirates ID number of the guardian. Then, tap ‘Next’.
• Select the number of passengers in the taxi excluding the guardian.

Step 3: Select the pickup and drop-off location
• You can enter the location on the app’s search bar and confirm the location.

Step 4: Select the frequency of the trips:
• Select whether the trip is one-way or two-way.
• Select ‘repeated’ or ‘single’ trip. According to DTC, ‘repeated’ is for customers booking taxis for multiple numbers of days for example: a few days, weeks or months.
• Enter the service duration – starting and end date.
• Next, select if you want the taxi only in the morning, evening or both.
• Choose the days.
• Select the pick-up and drop-off time.

Step 5: Review the booking details and pay
• Next, you will receive a summary of your trip and cost. In case of repeated trips, this will give you a total cost for all the trips. Tap, ‘Next’.
• Add your credit or debit card details and pay for the trip.
• Once you have paid for the trip, you will receive a confirmation on the app, and the taxi will arrive to pick up or drop off your children, according to the scheduled dates.

You must contact the DTC call centre at – 800 88088, if you need to make any changes to your booking.