Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has started offering smart hourly car rental services for Dubai commuters with the collaboration of U Drive and Ekar allowing customers to rent cars for up to six hours through a smart app. Each of the two companies is providing 100 vehicles that will be available at 45 locations across Dubai. These locations include Rashidiya, Burjuman, Ibn Battuta, Union and Business Bay metro stations. The car can be picked up from any of these areas and dropped off at any location.
The rental charges are as low as Dh 30 per hour including parking and fuelling costs (Deira Fish Market, Tecom areas and Downtown Dubai are included). If you drop the car from where it was picked, the charges are further reduced to Dh 24 per hour, making it much more affordable than a regular taxi service.
The app users will register using their Emirates ID, driving license, credit card credentials and a selfie with either their ID or DL. On the completion of registration, commuters will be given a personal ID number. They can access the locations of different cars on the map and select the car they see fit. In the event of an accident where car renter is at fault, the repair charges will be imposed on their credit card.
As said earlier, the hourly car rental services will only be allowed for six straight hours with a free of cost refuelling facility at any EPPCO and ENOC petrol stations. The service will be initiated in May 2017 upon the launch of RTA’s Integrated Mobility Platform. It will be available via a common mobile app, which also offers multiple transit options.