Dubai gets 54 new taxi ranks to cut waits

More than 50 new taxi ranks aimed at reducing passenger waiting times are now fully operational, announces the RTA.

Taxis line up at Al Ghubaiba in Dubai.

DUBAI // More than 50 new taxi ranks aimed at reducing passenger waiting times are now fully operational, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced yesterday. Each of the 54 stations has been allocated a number, and passengers will be able to order a taxi directly by SMS when the rank is empty. The RTA said the terminals, which are spread across the emirate, were in response to the high volume of complaints from passengers frustrated at having to wait for long periods for rides. Essa al Dosari, the chief executive of the RTA's Public Transport Agency, said: "We get so many complaints that taxis are not available, especially where there's a lot of traffic congestion, so we came up with the idea of placing taxi ranks in specific locations. "They have been positioned so that when you come out from any commercial centre, entertainment centre or high density building you will find a taxi rank within easy reach. We chose the locations according to where there is high demand, high population density, and availability of space. I believe this will make a real difference because people will be able to find a taxi more easily and with less waiting time by going to their nearest taxi rank. "There will normally be many taxis waiting in line, but if for some reason they are not, the passenger can use the new SMS service and a taxi will be immediately dispatched to that particular taxi rank." A map, produced by the RTA in partnership with Explorer Publishing, showing the locations of all the ranks is available in bookshops and newsagents. Most of the stations have been in operation for several months. The depots should cut down on traffic congestion as fewer taxis would be on the roads in search of passengers, Mr Dosari said. Many of the depots are in densely populated areas, such as Deira and Bur Dubai, where residents frequently complain it is difficult to find a taxi at certain times. Other key taxi ranks have been established at the Mall of the Emirates, Times Square, Madinat Jumeirah and Uptown Mirdif. Rank locations were chosen after the Public Transport Agency (PTA) set up a work group, which carried out studies to gauge the level of demand in different areas. The group also travelled to Singapore to evaluate that country's taxi depot network. Speaking at the launch yesterday, Abdul Aziz Malik, the chief executive of Dubai Taxi Agency, said its drivers had been briefed on the locations of the new ranks. Each rank will have its allotted number clearly displayed, and passengers can text this to 4774 to get an immediate booking. Taxi rank signs would also display the telephone numbers of all Dubai Taxis franchise companies to make bookings easier, Mr Malik said. Residents had mixed reactions to the scheme, with some believing it would make little difference to waiting times. Carl Forsyth, 47, a Bur Dubai resident who works for a stationery company, said: "It's all very well putting up taxi ranks but if there aren't enough taxis in the first place, how's it going to improve things? Also, certainly during the summer months it's too hot for most people to walk to a taxi rank, even if it happens to be a few hundred metres away." Aban Husna, who lives in Umm Suqeim, said: "It's a good idea to have taxi ranks, and I like the idea of the SMS ordering service. "I've been to a taxi rank before and found there were no taxis actually waiting, so that would definitely be useful." Mr Dosari said while Dubai Taxi had received a lot of complaints from passengers, many of them were unjustified. "We get a lot of complaints from people saying they tried to hail a taxi and it refused to stop. We looked into this and found that in 80 per cent of these complaints, it turned out the taxi had its red light on, which means it already is carrying a passenger or it was on its way to pick somebody up. People don't realise that a taxi can only stop if the yellow light is on." The PTA recently announced that Cars Taxis, one of the RTA's franchise companies, had brought in 400 new taxis, bringing the total number in the city to 6,900. [e-mail]