Dubai: The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai on Saturday announced it will be adding 1,090 new vehicles to the Dubai Taxi fleet.
The new vehicles include 776 hybrid vehicles powered by fuel and electricity.
This means the total number of hybrid vehicles in the Dubai Taxi fleet will grow to 2,230 vehicles, or 44 per cent of the entire Dubai Taxi fleet.
On Saturday, the RTA board of directors, led by Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of the board of directors and director-general of RTA, announced the endorsement of a contract for the procurement of the new vehicles.
“The procurement of these new vehicles is part of RTA’s Dubai Taxi Corporation efforts to improve the taxi service in Dubai. The objective is to offer a unique and premium taxi service to meet the rising demand and improve the level of service that will bring more happiness to clients,” Al Tayer said.
The new vehicles include 660 hybrid Toyota Camry, 270 Toyota Innova, two Toyota Hiace, 116 hybrid Hyundai Sonata, 30 H1 Van, and 12 Vito Pro.
Al Tayer said: “The procurement of 776 hybrid vehicles is in implementation of the directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to save power consumption in the UAE in view of its importance for the people and development projects. It is also part of the RTA’s commitment to the Master Plan of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy calling for reducing carbon emissions of the taxi sector by two per cent to accelerate the migration to the Green Economy. It also concurs with the Strategic Objective (Safety and Environmental Sustainability) and supports the government’s green economy initiatives as well.”
Dr Yousuf Al Ali, CEO of Dubai Taxi Corporation, said: “As part of its strategic objectives, the Dubai Taxi Corporation is aspiring for an excellent operation that brings happiness to people. This procurement will meet the growing public demand for the service fuelled by the upsurge of urbanisation and demographic growth in Dubai, which is shaping into a key destination for investors and business leaders from all countries.”
