Commuters in Dubai will soon be able to book taxis through the Careem app, after an agreement was signed between the ride-hailing operator and the Road and Transport Authority.
The agreement will give Careem users access to the RTA’s fleet of about 9,800 taxis, as well as the 4,700 limousines previously accessible via the app.
Bassel Al Nahlaoui, Careem's vice president of business development and government relations, said the new service would be available "within the coming weeks", and gave no further details. Mr Nahlaoui told The National that traditional taxis booked through the app would cost the same as via existing RTA channels.
He declined to say whether tariffs for limousines booked through the Careem app would remain the same or not.
“For limousines, we’ll have to see what happens in the market and make an informed decision,” he said.
A spokeswoman for Careem rival Uber said it had held discussions with the RTA about adding Dubai taxis to its own app, but said that any agreement “must put the riders’ interest first” with regard to reliability, affordability and data privacy, noting that regulations on the pricing of non-taxi services was an issue.
“Our goal has been to complement [the] public transport system with an affordable, convenient and reliable choice in transport. However, existing regulations state that we price 30 per cent above taxis,” the company said.
“This has prevented us from offering the same level of service, and long-term solutions, as seen by riders in over 450 Uber cities around the world. However, we remain committed to continuing the conversation and ensuring riders and drivers in Dubai are benefiting from our leading technology.”
Careem and Uber suspended services in Abu Dhabi in August, after licensed limousine drivers using the app were arrested by police.
Careem has relaunched a limited service in the capital, while Uber remains unavailable.
jeverington@thenational.ae
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