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Dubai Taxi to explore cryptocurrency payment for passengers, says CEO
Dubai Taxi is also set to expand services to Abu Dhabi, Ajman and Sharjah
- PUBLISHED: Wed 25 Feb 2026, 10:58 AM UPDATED: Wed 25 Feb 2026, 11:08 AM
Dubai Taxi Company (DTC) will explore cryptocurrency as a new payment gateway for its customers and could roll it out very soon, its chief executive said.
“The idea is to give the customer different choices when it comes to the payment gateways. Of course, we're going to explore a cryptocurrency payment solution with our regulator, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). We can see it very soon as one of the payment gateways that we provide for our customers,” Mansoor Rahma Alfalasi, CEO of Dubai Taxi Company, told Khaleej Times.
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The UAE is leading in terms of adopting new technologies. Earlier this month, AE Coin was recognised as a payment method for all federal government authorities, marking the first time in the wider region that a regulator-licensed stablecoin is authorised for nationwide government-fee payments.
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The UAE’s first Central Bank–licensed, fully reserved, AED-backed payment token through AEC Wallet is powered by Al Maryah Community Bank (Mbank).
In November 2025, the Central Bank of the UAE approved Zand, the nation’s AI-powered digital bank, to launch Zand AED, the country’s first regulated, multi-chain AED-backed stablecoin on public blockchains.
Last year, IHC, ADQ, and First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) also announced plans to launch a new stablecoin backed by Dirhams, which will be fully regulated by the Central Bank of the UAE and issued by the UAE’s largest bank, FAB (subject to regulatory approval).
The Dubai Taxi chief didn’t disclose the exact date but said it’s possible “very soon".
First autonomous taxi
On Tuesday, Dubai Taxi announced a seven per cent increase in net profit year-on-year to Dh356.1 million in 2025.
Dubai Taxi’s CEO, Alfalasi, said autonomous taxis will be rolled out next month.
“We are going to have, for the first time, autonomous taxis and vehicles through our fleets. The first trip will start next month. Our target for this year is to roll out 50 to 100 autonomous vehicles. Later, we’ll see how we can expand more,” he said.
Earlier this month, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, launched the official operations of fully autonomous RT6 taxi vehicles developed by Baidu Apollo Go as part of Dubai’s smart mobility ecosystem.
Exploring other cities
In the interview with Khaleej Times, he pointed out that Dubai Taxi will expand its service with Bolt in Abu Dhabi and is also targeting other cities like Ajman and Sharjah this year.
He noted that Dubai Taxi aims to add 2,000 bikes, thereby creating a similar number of jobs.
