Fourteen companies have been short-listed by Abu Dhabi’s Taxi Transport Regulation Centre to build the 21st century taxi network for the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Candidates that have pre-qualified to enter the ‘Request for Proposal’ phase were judged on merit in the areas of company track-record, management and company experience and financial stability.
Companies that will now compete in a bid to manage the world-class taxi system in Abu Dhabi are: Tawasul Transport, Q-Link Transport L.L.C, Cars Taxi, Al Ghazal Transport, National Taxi, National Transport Company, Arabia Taxi, Emirates National Group, Al Masaood & AA Al Moosa Enterprises (JV Proposal), Ali & Sons Co. L.L.C., Al Jaber Transport & General Contracting LLC, Al Wathba Co for Central Services (AWCCS), AVIS UAE and Emirates Transport.
“I feel very confident about our ability to create a 21st century taxi network in the emirate. As a fair and transparent regulator, we have evaluated and assessed all submissions on the basis of applicants’ merit against our quality benchmarks and high standards. These fourteen companies have successfully demonstrated their ability to run a professional, high quality and competitive taxi fleet.
“The emphasis for each pre-qualifying company now shifts towards presenting a strong business case that will optimise returns and ensure delivery of the best possible taxi service for Abu Dhabi,” says Khaled Saleh Al Rashedi, General Manager, Taxi Transport Regulation Centre.
Companies short-listed for the next stage represent two-thirds of the total submissions during the ‘Request for Pre-Qualification’ phase that took place between October 17, 2006 and October 31, 2006.
“In order to fully assess the companies that successfully passed, we were obligated to extend the assessment process by one week, however, we are maintaining progress against our implementation plan to ensure we have new taxis on the streets of the emirate during the third quarter of 2007.
“We are aiming to provide a world-class taxi service to benefit the residents of Abu Dhabi, offer peace-of-mind to licence owners and significantly improve opportunities for taxi drivers,” concluded Al Rashedi.
