Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched a six-month pilot initiative to allow passengers to share taxis operating between Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai and Al Wahda Mall in Abu Dhabi, in a move aimed at providing easy, fast and affordable transportation. The results of the pilot will be studied before the authority decides to expand it to other locations in the future.
Passengers can pay the required fare via bank cards or Nol card. It should be noted that the fare per passenger will be (132) dirhams in case of two passengers sharing the vehicle, and (88) dirhams in case of three passengers using the vehicle. The objectives that the Authority seeks to achieve through launching this initiative are: contributing to reducing traffic congestion on streets and roads by passengers sharing one taxi, which benefits the environment, including reducing the carbon footprint, as well as reducing the phenomenon of unlicensed transportation, in addition to passengers enjoying safe, smooth and comfortable transportation on board the Authority’s taxis, which are equipped with the requirements and tools to enhance passenger safety, represented by cameras linked to the Operations Control Center, in addition to cameras to monitor drivers’ performance.
The two locations, Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai and Al Wahda Mall in Abu Dhabi, were selected based on an analysis of potential routes for the taxi-sharing service between the two emirates, with the aim of reducing the fare cost for passengers, especially those who use this type of transport between Dubai and Abu Dhabi on a regular or semi-regular basis, in addition to the availability of stations and stops for various public transport means close to both locations.
The initiative will bring many benefits to passengers, the most important of which is reducing the cost by approximately 75% in the event that (4) passengers share a single taxi to travel between the two emirates, as the fare will be only (66) dirhams per passenger in the event that (4) passengers travel in a single vehicle, i.e. sharing the fare among the four passengers instead of one passenger bearing the amount alone.
