Over 14,000 Dubai taxis and limousines can be booked online under the new agreement signed between RTA and Uber Technologies. The pact was signed this Wednesday to comply with the goals of UAE Vision 2021 of achieving new economic transit solutions. Uber will offer Dubai Taxi booking with 9,841 taxis and 4,700 limousines at reasonable rates.
Mattar Al Tayer (Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA) signed the agreement on behalf of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), whereas Anthony Khoury (Regional Manager of Uber, Middle East) agreed to the terms on behalf of Uber. This pact was initiated under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Muhammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai) to help Dubai achieve the status of the smartest city in the world.
Promoting smart mobility solutions, RTA plans on minimizing the number of vehicles on road while catering to the needs of Dubai residents and tourists. Uber will also be launching carpooling services i.e ‘UberPool’ to further facilitate the citizens.
The Dubai Taxi booking can be done through Uber app with no extra tax on users. The fare is around 30% higher than the local taxis. The contract with Uber is RTA’s second step toward smart mobility initiative – the first one was signed with Careem. Currently, RTA is working on ways to reduce the tariff and testing driverless cars on Dubai roads.