Who’s waiting for whom?

Who’s waiting for whom?

The RTA has just started more than 50 new taxi ranks in Dubai to ‘reduce waiting time’ for people in the city.

August 19, 2008 12:38 by kippreport

Instead of people waiting for taxis, taxis will be waiting for passengers. That’s what the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) hopes with the introduction of 54 new taxi stands across the city. The RTA has said that the reason is to reduce problems in high-density areas, and reduce pollution from car emissions.

Most of the new ranks are stationed outside malls and stores, and if the rank is empty, you just have to send an SMS of the taxi rank number (each has a specific one) to 4774 and a taxi will promptly be sent.

But with 54 ranks filled with (lets assume) at least two taxis at any given time, the roads are going to have around 100 taxis less. Which means many people going to work in the morning may now have to walk (in the heat) to the nearest rank to get a cab.

How exactly is that going to reduce waiting time? And what about people whose houses are not near a taxi rank? (Gulf News reports that Bur Dubai has just one new rank).

What do you think of the initiative? Will it be make cab-catching better or worse?