Shake a Dubai taxi

The experience of travelling on a Dubai taxi is about to change as new Hi-Tech taxi features and a smart app are being launched.

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced at the Gitex exhibition that it is all set to become a “smart” experience by year-end.

Passengers can expect the ability to do everything from “shaking” down a taxi to checking flights on board and paying by credit or NoL cards.

To begin with, a potential passenger needs to download the Smart Taxi app on his smartphone. It’s a free application, the first of its kind in the region, that allows him to book and track taxi orders in real time.

Once downloaded, a unique “shake-a-taxi” concept will allow the customer to fetch a cab by merely shaking his cellphone. The idea stems from the same gesture as waving your hand to flag down a taxi.

The customer would need to enter his contact number and the application will automatically look for available taxis nearest to him. When the cab is identified, the driver will confirm the pick-up and notify the customer in real time along its journey. “The customer will get all the details about the taxi, including the name and picture of the taxi driver by the time it reaches him.”

Instead of the current guessing work that is done to find out if a taxi is vacant, new smart taxi signs will leave no room for doubt. Every taxi on the road will have a message that clearly states if it is vacant, hired or booked, according to which it will show a green, red or orange light.

Once inside the taxi, the passenger can feel a difference. All taxis will have Wi-Fi, so the passenger can make the most of it. We will be installing LCD screens on which he can get flight information, make check-ins, find out about events and do a variety of other tasks. 

The screens will be installed in phases and the Dubai Taxi fleet of 3,500 vehicles will be the first to get them. When the journey is over and it’s time to pay, the passenger can select three modes of payment: cash as is the current case, credit card or a smartphone-enabled NoL card. This is expected to be particularly beneficial to tourists who may not be carrying cash or the local currency. Passengers will also be able to rate the drivers’ performance on a five-star-scale when they disembark.

In addition to taxi bookings, the application allows passengers to schedule a taxi at any date or time. If the customer is near a taxi park, walking directions to the taxi will also be provided.

- Inputs from Xpress/Gulf News.

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