DUBAI // The Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC) will increase its fleet of cabs by more than 40 per cent over the next five years, the Roads and Transport Authority announced on Saturday.
Mattar Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the board of executive directors of the RTA, approved a five-year plan of the DTC that calls for the number of cabs to rise to 7,000 by 2021. The number of limousines is set to jump to 500 in the same time period, up 340 per cent from the fleet of 113 vehicles in 2015.
The increase in the number of cabs is required to meet the needs of customers as well as the requirements of hosting the Expo 2020 in Dubai.
“The plan encompasses converting 50 per cent of taxicabs into hybrid vehicles by 2021 as part of a master plan to curb carbon emission in the taxi sector by 2 per cent as stipulated by the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and the Green Economy transition,” said Mr Al Tayer. “Thus, the number of hybrid vehicles at the disposal of the DTC would soar from 145 vehicles in 2015 to 2280 vehicles in 2021.”
The five-year plan also includes a new bundle of programmes and initiatives to improve school transport services run by the DTC by supplying the fleet with new eco-friendly buses. The number of school buses in operation will increase to 650 by 2021, up 450 per cent from 117 buses in 2015.
Phase II of the plan will involved launching new apps for all DTC services and developing land plots owned by DTC through constructing commercial outlets to help support future expansion plans.
newsdesk@thenational.ae