Abu Dhabi adds 270 new Mercedes minivans to taxi fleet

ABU DHABI // Residents will have shorter waits for taxis as 270 environmentally friendly Mercedes vans roll out this month.

The Vito Compact vans are similar to the black taxis introduced at the airport, and although the quality of travel will increase, fares will not.

“The new fleet will definitely help solve the shortage of taxis during peak hours but we’re also requiring franchise taxi companies to operate a double-shift system to meet the demand,” said Mohammed Al Qamzi, general manager of taxi regulator TransAD.

“What encouraged us to launch this service was the demand for our airport taxis and the feedback we got from the people, how it has changed the culture.

“People used to say that UAE nationals do not take taxis but that’s not true. An increasing number of locals, including my friends, are using taxis.”

The taxis, which cost more than Dh130,000, have leather seats and can carry five passengers.

They will run on eco-friendly green diesel and are wheelchair-friendly, using special ramps and fitted with special locks to secure them.

They are equipped with safety features and come with sound-proof privacy glass. The vans have an easy-to-use intercom system for communications between the passenger and driver.

“It was mainly because of the complaints we received from our customers, such as the loud music, but this is also for safety reasons,” Mr Al Qamzi. “Imagine kids sitting here and distracting the driver while he’s driving.”

They are equipped with GPS systems.

“Compared to a Camry, this is a luxury car,” said Mohammed Al Hosani, TransAD’s director of franchise and licensing.

“Privacy is one of the key features for the passengers, especially ladies. Right now, we operate six special-needs taxis but now all 270 taxis can accommodate special-needs customers.”

There will be no difference in fare, with flagfall remaining at Dh3.50. Priority will be given to customers who book the service using the Abu Dhabi Taxi mobile application.

Initially, three franchise companies will operate the new fleet. National Taxi will have 111 vehicles, Arabia Taxi 88 and Al Ghazal 71.

Before the launch, there were 7,147 taxis operated by six companies and 220 airport taxi vans. There are about 10,000 taxi drivers in the emirate.

Three other franchises – Cars Taxi, Tawasul and Emirates Taxi – are expected to come on board.

“This is a pilot project so the next phase is for the three other taxi companies to operate 7 per cent of their fleet with these new Mercedes Vito Compact cars,” Mr Al Hosani said.

“We will have to do some research and we will decide how to go about the expansion.”

On Wednesday, 35 taxi vans went to service, with the rest to be rolled out in batches until the end of the month.

“There will be no shortage of taxis with the launch of this service,” said Ali Yousef, franchise taxi manager at Al Ghazal Transport.

“Today, we are operating 10 of these taxis. We now have three on the road and the seven are in our showroom.”

Meeran Raja Ibrahim, general manager of Arabia Taxi, agreed.

“With our new fleet of 88 taxis, we can meet the demands of our customers,” Mr Ibrahim said.

There will be an initial trial period to assess the taxis mechanically and to gauge public feedback, Mr Al Qamzi said.

"There has been a big shift from the gold-and-white taxis to the launch of the silver Toyota Camrys in 2007, the special-needs taxis and airport taxis in 2013, the hybrid taxis last year and now to this new fleet of smart taxis," he said.

“I can tell you there’s more to come, inshallah.”