The Board of Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has endorsed a plan to transform taxis in Dubai (Dubai Taxi and franchise company taxis) into 100% environmentally friendly (hybrid, electric and hydrogen-powered) by 2027. The move meets the requirements of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, the Green Economy drive, and the Dubai Government’s strategic directions toward comprehensive environmental sustainability.

“The five-year plan (2023-27) aims to switch the entire taxi fleet into fully environment-friendly vehicles … at a rate of 10 per cent per annum,” said Mattar Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). “The plan is aligned with the RTA’s roadmap for (making) public transport means … emission-free by 2050.” The transport regulator has transformed 72 per cent of the taxis in Dubai into environment-friendly vehicles. This is about 8,221 hybrid vehicles.

“The results of experiments on eco-friendly vehicles, which the RTA started trialling in 2008, confirmed the environmental benefits of reducing carbon emissions, fuel consumption, and maintenance costs, as well as decreasing noise levels. Hybrid vehicles also have a longer lifespan compared to regular vehicles and cost less in the long run. The taxi fleet in Dubai hit 11,371 by the end of 2022. Cabs made 105 million trips and travelled over 2-billion km in the same year.