Dubai to provide free wifi onboard all its 10,800 taxis

Dubai is set to provide free wifi onboard its entire taxi fleet of 10,800 vehicles, Dubai Media Office (DMO) confirmed on Wednesday.

The move comes following an agreement signed between the city’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and telecoms firm du during the Gitex Technology Week in the emirate.

The project will be rolled out in phases, although further details are yet to be finalised, according to local media reports.

“You can’t launch all 10,000 cars with wifi overnight, you have to learn how different people are using the service,” Anthony Shiner, chief digital lifestyle and innovation officer at du told The National.

“If you’re travelling from the airport to your hotel, for example, you will probably want to use the wifi for checking in on your emails and messages.”

Free wifi was first introduced in 500 Dubai Airport taxis in December 2016, with a further 700 taxis installed with LED screens and free wifi last year.

Taxis in Dubai picked up 87.849 million passengers in the first half of this year.

The latest announcement will help the emirate “cement its position is one of the world’s smartest cities”, DMO said on Twitter.

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