By Raynald C Rivera
DOHA: Five hundred more lemon yellow-roofed taxis will hit Doha streets by October, Cars Taxi, one of the four taxi operators in the country, announced yesterday.
Cars Taxi yesterday started the roll-out with 25 taxis and the number will gradually increase to reach the additional target, to add to the 500 currently operated by the company.
The announcement to double the Cars Taxi fleet will bring the total number of taxis in Qatar to 4,500 by the end of the third quarter.
“Since the launch of Cars Taxi in September 2014, we have commissioned 500 taxis in record time and hope to commission another 500 in record time in the next four to five months,” P Balasubramaniam, Group Director, Profit Group, said at the launch at Sharq Village & Spa.
The company also plans to introduce environment-friendly hybrid taxis and special taxis for women, families and people with disabilities.
One of the region’s largest taxi franchise operators, Cars Taxi operates in the country in partnership with Qatar-based Profit Group.
“This large addition to the existing fleet reflects Cars Taxi’s commitment to find balance between the increasing needs of taxi riders and availability of service providers in Qatar.
“Since launching operations two years ago, Cars Taxi has established itself as a preferred choice of commuters throughout the country,” said Abdulla Sultan Al Sabbagh, Group CEO, Cars Taxi Group.
“Today we take a major step forward in our efforts to expand our network,”
“As part of our commitment to environmental conservation and sustainable development, Cars Taxi is looking to introduce hybrid taxis in Qatar — bringing an initiative that has been successfully implemented in the UAE. There are also plans to introduce taxis for families and women and special-needs vehicles to cater to people with disabilities,” Balasubramaniam added.
He said the company is giving 21-day intensive training to drivers and has equipped taxis with advanced mobile data terminals (MDTs), inclusive of meters, navigation systems, taxi tracking and dispatch systems and a speed monitoring system allowing a maximum speed limit of 100kmph within city limits.
The Peninsula
