Dubai: Hala Taxi, the latest in the series of taxi services in Dubai, has led the surge in demand for cabs this year, according to figures revealed by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

The number of taxi trips in Dubai has increased by 5 per cent in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period last year.

“Taxicabs made 26,142,496 trips during the first quarter of this year, reflecting a more than 5 per cent increase when compared with the figure posted during the same period last year, which amounted to 25,022,423 trips,” announced Adel Shakeri, Director of Transportation Systems at RTA’s Public Transport Agency.

Needless to say, the number of taxi users during the first quarter of this year also increased to 45,487,943 passengers; reflecting a 4 per cent growth rate, up from 43,539,290 passengers during the same period last year.

Interestingly, of the many taxi services, the service paying a significant role in the growth is Hala Taxi, which was launched in November last year.

“Hala Taxi service, which is dedicated to taxi bookings made through the Booking and Despatch Centre, handled 222,807 bookings during the first quarter of this year, which reflects the role of the new service in catering to the needs of the Booking and Despatch Centre clients,” added Shakeri.

The number of calls received by the Booking and Despatch Centre in the first quarter of this year soared by 20 per cent, reporting 2,039,926 calls, whereas the number was 1,689,444 calls during the first quarter of last year.

“This achievement has been made available thanks to the use of one of the most sophisticated and accurate technological systems worldwide, known as the Despatcher System (D8) used in the Booking and Despatch Centre for booking and deploying taxis; and is viewed as the backbone of monitoring taxi operations in Dubai emirate,” noted Shakeri.

The Booking and Despatch Centre was established in 1995 and is responsible for executing the procedures of booking various taxis and taxi services between customers and franchise companies, following up the dispatch of the cab (service) to the customer, and attending to customer calls 24/7 through three daily shifts.

The Centre also offers a range of specialised services to meet various needs of community members such as Hala Taxi, Limousine Service, VIP Service, Family Vans, Ladies-Dedicated Cabs, Special Needs Vehicles, and the booking of a taxicab for six or 12 hours.