Expo 2020 Dubai: Tech to help assess demand for taxis at venue

Dubai - Increased taxi fleet enables service to optimally balance supply and demand

A new technology launched for Expo 2020 Dubai will help ride-hailing service Hala predict how many taxis are needed at the Expo site. It then automatically dispatches the required number of cabs to the site.

The increased taxi fleet enables the service to “optimally balance supply and demand”, a top official said. Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) collaborated with Hala to launch the ‘Auto Dispatch’ technology.

Leveraging an innovative in-house technology developed by Careem, vehicles will automatically receive dispatch requests to the Expo site based on “the required number of taxis needed at each hour of the day”.

Hala, the joint venture between the RTA and Careem, enables customers to book any taxi in Dubai via an app.

How to book a cab

Tourists, residents, and visitors at Expo can book the taxis through their phones via the application, or self-serving kiosks. Customers will use a one-time password (OTP) to book a taxi via their mobile, connect with the driver, and take off on their journey with zero waiting time, the RTA said.

sahim@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai