Dubai taxis have recorded a bumper year so far with more than 45 million passengers using cabs between January and last month.
This represents 26,142,496 taxi journeys over the first quarter – a 5 per cent leap year on year, according to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
Likewise, the 45,487,943 passengers who used the service over this period reflects a 4 per cent growth rate over the same period last year, said Adel Shakeri, director of transportation systems at the RTA.
More than two million calls were also made with the booking-and-dispatch centre during the first three months of the year, representing a 20 per cent increase year on year.
“This achievement has been made 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 taxicabs, and is viewed as the backbone of monitoring taxi operations in Dubai emirate,” said Mr Shakeri.
The centre was established in 1995 and is responsible for allowing the booking of taxis and taxi services between customers and franchise companies, following up the dispatch of cabs to customers, and attending to customer calls at all hours.
“Among the key features of the D8 system is the zoning of areas in a way that makes it easy for cab drivers to understand districts and locations, and enhances their ability to access borderlines and other geographical locations defining the borderline of each district, which contributes to a better distribution of bookings and enabling drivers to pick up bookings from the nearest point to the customer,” said Mr Shakeri.
“This advanced system identifies the number and types of bookings, and the number of taxicabs in general, which helps in drawing up development plans and making good preparations for events held in the emirate. The system also enables identifying the most and the least frequented areas in terms of the taxi booking service, which helps in the distribution of taxicabs per district.”
The centre also offers a range of specialised services such as Hala Taxi, Limousine Service, VIP Service, Family Vans, Ladies-Dedicated Cabs, Special Needs Vehicles, and taxi hires for between six and 12 hours.
Last year, more than 440 million passengers used public transport in Dubai, including buses, water taxis and the Metro – an increase from 367 million in 2012. Every day, more than 1.3 million people use public transport in the city.
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