Taxi passengers in Dubai will soon be able to pay their fare with debit and card credits, the Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai (RTA) announced on Wednesday.
The RTA said the scheme would be phased in from this week and will be available in all cabs by the middle of next year. As well as debit and credit cards, passengers will also be able to use their Nol cards.
Dr Yousef Al Ali, CEO of the RTA’s Public Transport Agency, said: “This initiative would indisputably constitute an added value service to public transport commuting in general and to taxi riding in particular.”
“The taxi service sector is witnessing remarkable growth in Dubai, thanks to the increasing demand from the public, representing all social cross sections including residents, tourists and visitors.
“The demand is especially high during peak seasons when Dubai hosts a range of events such as conventions, exhibitions, fairs and other landmark events.”
He added: “Nol Cards and bank credit and debit cards of various types from all around the world can be used to pay the taxi fares to smoothly and easily facilitate payment without thetrouble of finding ATMs, in case cash is not in hand.”
Passengers will be able to use cards, including Visa, MasterCard, JCB, China Union Pay and Diners, through a POS terminal in the taxis.
“The roll out of the new service will eliminate the cash pain point of taxi commuters, who will no longer have to worry about getting back the exact change from the taxi driver,” said Bhairav Trivedi, CEO, Network International.
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