Transport authority withdraws 106 old taxis from Sharjah's roads

Sharjah: The transport authority in Sharjah has withdrawn more than 106 old taxis within the emirate in order to provide a better service for passengers.

Abdullah Al Zari, director-general of Sharjah Transport, told Gulf News that the old taxis had been replaced with 120 new ones, which have all been equipped with a meter and modern technology.

"From [January 1, 2009] to June of this year, we have withdrawn 93 old taxis out of 125 from the eastern region, such as in Khor Fakkan, and 13 vehicles out of 16 from the central region," Al Zari said.

"Sharjah Transport is always working to develop the transport and communications services in the eastern and central regions through upgrading the service of taxis, which are consistent with global standards," he said.

He explained that all vehicles operating under the franchise of Sharjah Transport had been equipped with a meter in order to provide fair and accurate prices to passengers according to the distance travelled.

Before Sharjah Transport was launched, taxis in the emirate were owned by UAE nationals and this type of business was the main source of income for many citizens.

However, the trend of private taxis continued to flourish in the eastern and central regions of Sharjah.