RTA asked to sign up to global safe taxi service

DUBAI // The UAE has been invited to sign up to a service that helps travellers book taxis safely and securely wherever they are in the world.

The International Road Transport Union has asked the Roads and Transport Authority and other providers to join the Global Taxi Network.

About 250,000 taxis in Europe, America, Australia, Russia and India have joined the network since the plan was announced by trade federations in November last year.

Scheduled to launch in two to three months, the service allows a commuter to use her local taxi booking network to link to similar services in other parts of the world.

“The concept is that people will have access to safe and licensed taxis in other cities just like they are used to in their home country,” said Oleg Kamberski, head of passenger transport at the IRTU, who was in Dubai last week to attend an urban mobility workshop.

The RTA said it would study the proposal. Its Smart Taxi service helps order cabs, track vehicles and rate the driver.

“We have our own service, so it is important for us to know what will be the benefit for the passenger,” said Abdul Aziz Malik, chairman of the Higher Commission of the Middle East and North Africa and the RTA’s Centre for Transport Excellence.

“Yes, this is for more accessibility for people. OK, we will get exposure, but this is something new so we will have to study it.”

There have been complaints worldwide about illegal ride-share companies.

Safety of passengers and the need for regulation were among the reasons for the worldwide taxi network proposal.

“The industry is sometimes criticised about safety so we wanted a rebirth,” Mr Kamberski said.

“We are growing, with 30,000 taxis joining every month and by the year end we will have 500,000, or 10 per cent of taxis globally. With this we hope to influence the quality of the market. We certainly want the UAE on board.”

The Automobile & Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates, a member of the IRTU, welcomed the initiative.

“Planning like this is healthy because it will be a safe option,” said Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the ATCUAE. “For sure this is something that can be looked at very seriously in our region.”

The IRTU has partnered 10 technology companies to develop roaming facilities.

“As a customer, when you are abroad you want to be sure the taxi you get is like the one at home,” Mr Kamberski said. “So using your local app overseas is a guarantee.”