The Abu Dhabi’s Centre for Regulation of Transport by Hire Cars has announced that the new public taxi scheme for Abu Dhabi will commence operation on Saturday 4 November,
To mark this eagerly-anticipated event, a convoy of the new fleet will parade the city's street on the same day to showcase the Capital's new icon. The new taxis will also be displayed at shopping malls to give the public an opportunity to get a closer look at the cars themselves and the new special features installed in them.
The new taxi system is in line with the recently declared strategy of department of transport for providing simple and safe transport to all the residents and visitors of Abu Dhabi emirate. The Centre has endeavored to ensure that all new taxis are of high quality and based on international specifications and standards of safety.
“This weekend marks a new chapter in Abu Dhabi's emergence as a fast-developing modern world city. Whereas London has its black taxis, and New York has its yellow ones, we believe that our new fleet will become an icon for our Emirate,” commented HE Mr. Khaled Saleh Al Rashedi, General Manager of The Centre for Regulation of Transport by Hire Cars.
"These cars will not only become an icon of our Emirate but also represent a new era in comfort and safety for passengers. This has been a result of public feedback and lengthy, substantial discussions with many parties. The implementation program of this new taxi scheme is completely in line with the prosperity that Abu Dhabi is witnessing in all the sectors.. We are confident that the new taxis will be received very positively by the public and they would use these taxis as a substitute for their own cars and help us all reduce traffic in the Emirate.": added HE Mr. AL Rashedi.
To ensure that all residents are aware of the new taxi scheme being implemented including all information regarding the new fleet, the Centre will be launching an Emirate-wide campaign this week. On the day of launch, Saturday the 3rd November, 2007, the design and color scheme of the new fleet will be revealed for the first time and a convoy of the new taxis will make a two-hour trip around the city's main streets, including the Corniche, at 5:30pm. Members of the public are encouraged to look out for the convoy, and also to have a closer look at the taxis which will be on display at the city's major shopping malls for the following week. The Centre hopes that it will receive all the cooperation from the members of public and it encourages them to provide any feedback or comments to help the Centre improve and develop the service further.
The first batch of taxis will be operational from 4th of November, 2007 and the franchisees will roll-out the rest of batches in coming months. The phasing out of old taxis will begin only in January 2008 and the Centre will communicate details to the taxi license owners in coming weeks. A part of this communication has already been sent in October 2007.
The Abu Dhabi Center for Regulation of Transport by Hire Cars was formed in 2006, following the issuance of Decree 19 for the year 2006 by H.H Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The Center was formed to create an effective transportation system via hire cars in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The Center is the single regulatory authority in the hire car sector, and is fully independent financially and management-wise.
The Centre is developing the sector for hire car scheme in line with the international transportation standards for safety and comfort. The Centre has also created a system whereby drivers undergo various training courses and assessments to develop and enhance their driving skills in collaboration with the Emirates Driving Company. As stipulated by the Law, The Centre has launched a compensation fund, with the National Bank of Abu Dhabi as their Fund Advisors & Managers, which will be responsible to remunerate current car hire licensees with a monthly payment in return for the non-renewal of their licenses.
The Centre has authorized seven national companies to operate in the new hire car scheme, comprising: Tawasul Transport, Cars Taxi, National Taxi, Al Ghazal Transport, Q-Link Transport, Emirates Taxi and Arabia Taxi. Over 7,000 cars are expected to be introducing in the near future.
