The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai has recently unveiled a comprehensive plan to transform its taxi fleet into 100% environmentally friendly vehicles. This includes both Dubai Taxi and franchise company taxis and will be achieved by 2027. The move is in line with the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy’s Green Economy initiative, as well as the Dubai government’s broader strategy for environmental sustainability.
RTA has already made great strides in this direction, with 72% of its taxi fleet now consisting of eco-friendly vehicles, specifically 8,221 hybrid cars. This aligns with the authority’s broader objective of promoting energy efficiency and creating a more sustainable environment.
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According to His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General, and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors at RTA, the five-year plan aims to switch the entire taxi fleet over to hybrid, electric, and hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2027, with a goal of transforming 10% of the fleet each year. The plan is part of RTA’s roadmap to make all public transport emission-free by 2050.
The results of trials on green vehicles that RTA has been conducting since 2008 have been extremely positive, demonstrating the benefits of reducing carbon emissions, fuel consumption, maintenance costs, and noise levels. Al Tayer went on to state that hybrid vehicles have longer lifespans, lower purchase prices, maintenance fees, fuel expenses, insurance premiums, and other associated costs, which can be as low as 50% of traditional vehicles.
Taxis play a vital role in Dubai’s transportation system, with 11,371 taxis operating in the city, making over 105 million trips and covering over two billion kilometres in 2022 alone. Dubai’s initial goal of transitioning 50% of its taxi fleet to greener fuels has already resulted in a significant reduction in carbon emissions, equivalent to 70,000 tonnes annually.
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The Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC) now boasts the largest fleet of environmentally friendly vehicles in the city, with over 34% of its taxis being hybrid vehicles. Other taxi companies, including Cars Taxi, National taxi, Arabia taxi, and Metro taxi, are also making significant efforts to adopt eco-friendly technologies.
“The five-year plan (2023-2027) aims to switch the entire taxi fleet into fully environmentally friendly – hybrid, electric and hydrogen-powered – within five years at a rate of 10% per annum to achieve the targeted 100% by 2027. The plan is aligned with RTA’s roadmap for transforming public transport means into emission free by 2050,” expresses His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority.
