The taxi industry in Dubai experienced in 2023 remarkable expansion, with approximately 114 million trips and a total of around 198.4 million passengers transported throughout the year. This annual trip count represents the highest recorded figure in the past 15 years.
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Adel Shakri, director of Planning and Business Development at the Public Transport Agency, Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), emphasized the accomplishments of the taxi sector. He stated that the growth rate of taxi trips from 2022 to 2023 reached 8 percent, underscoring the sector’s crucial role in Dubai’s public transportation network. In October 2023, there was an unprecedented surge, with taxi trips reaching 10 million.
Shakri further noted that Dubai taxis are known for their extensive coverage, averaging over 500 km per day. He also expressed his delight at the substantial increase in taxi trips, attributing it to the strong trust placed by residents, tourists, and visitors in the taxi services provided by the RTA.
Moreover, to enhance the city’s taxi fleet, an additional 1,160 taxis were deployed in 2023, bringing the total to approximately 12,532 vehicles. Notably, 10,388 of these taxis are environmentally friendly, consisting of a combination of hybrid and electric vehicles, accounting for 83 percent of the entire fleet. Furthermore, these taxis are operated by 27,900 drivers working in two shifts.
Hala Taxi
The e-hail taxi service, known as Hala Taxi, saw a significant surge with 39.8 million trips in 2023, indicating a 27 percent growth compared to 2022. This increase highlights the substantial shift in consumer behavior from traditional street hailing to electronic bookings throughout the year.
Additionally, the efficiency of Hala’s service notably improved, with the average actual arrival time for electronically booked taxis in Dubai decreasing to 3.6 minutes in 2023, an improvement from the recorded 3.9 minutes in 2022.
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