The increase follows four consecutive months of petrol price hikes… 

The cost of catching a taxi in Dubai has risen… According to the Dubai Taxi Company (DTC) website, tariffs for all taxis (including airport taxis, street hails, and those booked via mobile apps Careem and S’hail) have increased from Dhs1.97 per kilometre in April to Dhs2.09 per kilometre (a six per cent jump) this month.

So, on a 20km journey, you can expect to pay roughly Dhs3 more.

While no official announcement has been made, the increase of 12 fils per kilometre follows four months of petrol price hikes. Since February, petrol prices in the UAE have gone up every month, from Dhs2.82 per litre in January to Dhs3.34 per litre in May.

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“Any change in taxi fares is a dynamic change based on the fluctuating fuel prices in the local market and is calculated based on fuel usage per kilometre.” the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) previously told the Khaleej Times.

Take note, the minimum fares remain in place, which is Dhs5 for street hails and Dhs12 during peak times and for Careem and S’hail bookings.

The last time taxi fares were changed was back in January 2023, when the RTA reduced the tariff from Dhs2.19 per kilometre to Dhs1.97 per kilometre due to the reduced cost of petrol.

Taxi lanes

To beat the traffic, the RTA recently announced plans to construct more dedicated bus and taxi lanes in Dubai. It will span 13.1km on six key streets expanding Dubai’s network of dedicated bus lanes to 20.1km. By introducing dedicated bus lanes, travel time is expected to be reduced by rates varying from 24 to 59 per cent during peak hours.

The six key roads across Old Dubai include Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, 2nd December street, Al Satwa, Al Nahda, Omar bin Al Khattab, and Naif Street. The road works are expected to be completed between 2025 and 2027.

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Images: RTA