The Dubai Roads & Transport Authority and Careem have announced the launch of a taxi e-hailing service under a joint venture.

Called Hala, the service will officially offer its vehicles to customers as of September.

The Hala logo is designed to reflect the transformation of the taxi e-hailing experience provided through the partnership between RTA and Careem technology.

Matar Al Tayer, director general of the RTA, noted the partnership is the first of its kind worldwide between a public transport authority and a private company specialising in smart booking.

It also sets a precedence as an outstanding public private partnership and fruitful collaboration to uplift the public transport network and sharing mobility.

“Hala started a trial e-hailing service for Dubai Taxis in May on 2,000 vehicles whereby a great deal of rides were booked using the Careem app experiencing a substantial growth over the subsequent weeks.

“The estimated time of arrival has already reached an average of 4.5 minutes versus previous average of 12-14 minutes, aiming to reach an arrival time of three minutes in September.

“Half of the Roads & Transport Authority taxi fleet will be bookable on the Careem app.

“The trial period witnessed excellent customer and drivers’ satisfaction,” said Al Tayer.