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Dubai residents will soon have seven e-hail services to choose from, according to a senior official at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). Adel Shakeri, Director, Planning and Business Development, Public Transport Agency at the RTA has told Khaleej Times that a total of 7 companies are registered as e-hail service providers with 6 in service and 1 to commence services shortly.
“With the availability of a number of e-hail service providers, commuters have a vast variety of options to carry out their journeys,” said Adel Shakeri. “Besides, it will lead to healthy competition in favor of customers, improving the economy and creating fruitful partnerships.”
The companies include:
1. Uber
The American service provider has a global presence and was one of the first e-hail service providers in the country. Offering luxury as well as affordable rides, Uber has been operating in Dubai since 2013. It also offers food delivery and freight in addition to e-hail services
2. Careem
Based in Dubai, Careem has been operating as one of the region’s premiere e-hail services for over a decade. Apart from Economy, Limo and Max services, Careem also offers Hala Taxi service. These are the Dubai taxis that can be booked by using Careem App.
3. DTC (Dubai Taxi Corporation)
The DTC also operates ride-hailing services. With options like Airport Taxi, Special need vehicles, Ladies and family rides, limousine and my driver services, it has one of the most extensive array amenities offered in the city.
4. KOI
The company’s ground transportation service is available in several countries worldwide, bookable through its portal and API. The ride sharing company’s fleet can be booked through its app and will service the length and breadth of Dubai.
5. WOW
WOW provides trendy and innovative latest technology platform of Electronic Transport Services (ETS) in most of the cities of North America, Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia. You can book your ride from your desired pickup location with the WOW App and the company’s drivers or Leaders, as they are called, will drop you at your destination with full safety & security.
6. XXRide (Started in February 2022)
Established by long-time UAE resident Andrew George, this ride-hailing app started service in February 2022 and is dedicated to serving the transportation needs for riders all across the country. Customers can choose from Select, Luxury, XXXL, Family, and Electric option.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Andrew George, the founder of XXRIDE said that his vision was to change the ride-hailing culture in the country. “I wanted to make a business model that was a win-win for all parties involved,” he said. “In some cases, the drivers were paying a big chunk of their earnings to the companies. I wanted to bring about a change to that.”
The company charges its drivers AED 5 per ride, irrespective of how much the fare was. In addition to that, to keep costs low, XXRIDE also charges the minimum stipulated fee per kilometer as per RTA regulations. “We want to make sure that our fares are always the best option for any rider,” said Andrew George. “We have over 3,500 active drivers in our fleet at any given point, making sure that people will have no difficulty in finding rides anywhere and anytime.”
A long-time UAE resident, Andrew George said he was driven to set up the company after seeing the demand for ride-hail services here. “I grew up in Dubai,” he said. “I understood the market really well. So, I worked on a model based on that. We did a soft opening in 2021 and ironed out our issues. By the beginning of 2022, we made our official launching in Dubai and by end of 2022, our services will be expanding to all emirates of the UAE.”
7. BaronFleet (To begin operations shortly)
BaronFLeet that claims to be one of the GCC’s first on-demand premium car booking platform, aims to provide something affordable, reliable, and efficient for VIPs, high dignitaries, corporates and elites in a safe and secure environment.
The term e-hailing is the process of ordering a car, taxi, limousine, or any other form of transportation pickup using a mobile, tablet or computer.
According to recent statistics the percentage of bookings via the Hala electronic system for taxi services in Dubai has risen from 5% to 33% in the past two years. The five regions in Dubai that have registered the highest percentage of taxi demand are Deira, Business Bay, Al Barsha, Al Raffa, and Jumeirah Village Circle in descending order.
Reports showed that the waiting time for a taxi booked through the electronic reservation system has decreased by up to 70% from 11.3 minutes to 3.3 minutes between 2018 and the end of last year.
The fares of these services will be based as per the regulations set by RTA and commuters will be able to use them to travel to different emirates.
All the e-hail services can be booked through apps or online. The move is expected as a response to the burgeoning demand in e-hail services in the city.
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