RTA has endorsed a plan for a gradual shift from conventional taxis street-hail to e-hail services

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has endorsed a plan for a gradual shift from conventional taxi’s street-hail to e-hail services, aiming for an 80 per cent e-hail adoption rate in the coming years. RTA announced the same on Sunday. The decision stems from the success of Hala e-hailing rides, which accounted for 30 per cent of all taxi trips in Dubai in 2022.

Mattar Al Tayer, RTA director-general and chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, said: “The expansion of taxi e-hail services, as opposed to street-hailing, reinforces the government’s goal of transforming Dubai into the world's smartest city. This step also aligns with the worldwide shift in urban transportation planning, focusing on improving individual mobility, decreasing dependence on private cars, fostering happiness among residents, delivering outstanding services to visitors, and boosting customer satisfaction.

RTA will allocate a dedicated fleet of taxis to exclusively offer e-hail services using specific mechanisms and performance indicators for the service. Hala will be responsible for promoting the e-hail service by creating new channels geared towards attracting more users and implementing incentive initiatives for drivers.

The plan also encompasses designating only those zones where e-hail services are accessible, allocating parking spaces for both street-hail taxis and e-hail vehicles, expanding parking availability in high-demand areas, and identifying these parking spaces on the RTA and Hala smart apps.

How to book Hala service?

Users need to download the Careem app on their mobile devices and set up a personal account. They can then choose Hala vehicles from the available options and confirm their pick-up location.

Once the destination and preferred payment method are selected, users can tap the ‘Yalla’ button to finalise the booking.

A text message containing the driver and booking information follows shortly.

The e-hail service provides a range of features, such as securing bookings in less than 10 seconds, locating the closest available vehicle, and monitoring the journey in real-time. Additionally, the service streamlines the process for drivers by allowing them to receive user requests via the e-hail system, eliminating the need for roaming.