An increase in the flag-down rate of taxis in Dubai was recently announced by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
Instead of a Dh3 starting rate when flagging a cab down on the street, the passenger will pay Dh5 from the beginning of next month.
When booking a taxi in advance, the rates are higher, and similar to the regular fare have also increased.
During off-peak hours, the starting fare will be Dh8 instead of the current Dh6, and during peak hours this will be Dh12 instead of the current Dh10.
Dubai is still among the cities with the lowest taxi fares in the world, compared to other developed cities, the RTA has stated.
“It is worth mentioning that the taxi fare applicable in Dubai is the cheapest among some of the world’s most developed cities such as London, New York, Amsterdam, Paris, Singapore, Tokyo and other well-known metropolises and cities,” the authority pointed out when introducing the latest increase.
Emirates 24|7 tracked down the taxi fares of nine developed cities, added with the hidden fees or surprising benefits that each may, or may not have.
Flag-down rate
To begin with, we took the flag-down rate as a comparable, considering Dubai’s Dh5 for a regular taxi ride without advanced booking.
In most countries, a comparable kind of fee is charged as a minimum fare, or starting fare for the first few kilometres.
Tokyo applies one of the highest flag down rates in the world. For Dh22.14 the passenger can take off, although this rate covers the first two kilometres of the trip.
London and Amsterdam do not spare the passenger with the starting fare. A minimum fare of Dh13.86 (GBP2.4) is charged for every ride in London, and Dh13.25 (EUR2.89) in Amsterdam.
This is more than the Dh11.91 (EUR2.6) in Paris, the Dh11.24 (AUD3.6) in Sydney, the Dh9.18 (USD2.5) in New York, the Dh8.48 (SD3) in Singapore and the Dh5.28 (TL3.2) in Istanbul.
Mumbai charges very little to take off.
Dh1.25 (IRP21) is charged not only as a minimum charge, but for the first 1.5 km of the ride. The meter only starts adding up after this distance is crossed.
Meter charges
However, the flag down rate is not all that matters. A big difference is made in method of charging. Where some companies charge per kilometre, others charge per minute, or both.
In Dubai, passengers are charged by the kilometre, although a waiting fee applies as soon as the taxi stops. The meter adds Dh1.26 for every km, and Dh0.50 per minute idle.
Amsterdam tops all other cities with its high charges for both the distance and time passed. Per kilometre a Dh9.72 (EUR2,12) applies, and the customer pays Dh13.25 (EUR2,89) per minute.
London charges for both the distance and time as well, albeit with lower rates than its Dutch counterpart. Although the charges are not mentioned separately, a distance of 1km, considering this would take between 4-8 minutes, would cost between Dh20-32 (GBP115-185), as long as the distance does not exceed 10km.
Istanbul, although charging for both, applies lower rates, with Dh3.3 per km and Dh0.58 per minute.
While expensive Tokyo charges Dh9.74 (JPY1312,5) per kilometer and Dh1.6 (JPY51,43) per minute, only one of the two applies, depending on the speed of the cab.
The same system applies in Sydney, with Dh6.84 (AUD2.19) per km Dh2.95 (AUD0,94) per minute, and in Paris, with Dh4.77 (EUR1,07) per km and Dh2.43 (EUR0.53) per minute.
Surprisingly cost-effective is New York, which applies a system similar to Dubai. Converted, the customer pays Dh0.61 (USD0.17) for every km and for every minute idle.
Singapore and Mumbai seem to apply only a rate per distance at respectively Dh1.55 (SD0,55) and Dh0.83 (IRP13,96) per km.
Other costs
The cost of a taxi ride can be increased by many other factors, and in some cities the newcomer might be surprised by such hidden fees.
In Dubai, first-timers are often taken aback by the Dh10 minimum charge, which means that for any trip the customer pays at least Dh10, even of the actual fare is less. However, this rate seems low compared to the minimum fare in Paris, at a shocking Dh31.43 (EUR6,86).
Additional charges such as a rush hour and night rate only apply in Dubai when the taxi is booked in advance, while the charges remain the same when the cab is flagged down on the street.
This is a great advantage compared to other cities such as Singapore and Istanbul, where the metered fare surges with 50 per cent during night hours, Tokyo, where a 20 per cent increase applies during the night or even Mumbai where the fare increases by 25 per cent during the night.
Interestingly, a luggage fee is charged in Mumbai, and a fee per extra passenger is charged in Singapore when the total number of passengers is four or more.
In some cities, the rate even applies per person, and every person in the cab pays for his own share of the metered fare.