Easy Taxi was founded in Brazil in 2011. It is now one of the world’s leading mobile taxi apps, connecting drivers and passengers in a smooth, easy and safe way. Easy Taxi currently operates in 33 countries and 165 cities worldwide. Easy Taxi Middle East is currently operating in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan. — Courtesy photo

 

JEDDAH — Easy Taxi, the global taxi hailing service, has announced the implementation of meters in its cabs throughout the Kingdom, starting with its Jeddah fleet.



In Jeddah, Easy Taxi enforced metering from Sunday. Riyadh will follow shortly after.



The move comes in support of the Ministry of Transport’s plans to make meters mandatory in cabs by February 2015, thereby standardizing taxi services in the Kingdom

“Metering is an excellent initiative. Not only does it improve transparency and help us gather data to improve our services but also standardizes service delivery while safeguarding driver welfare,” said Dr Mahmoud Fouz, CEO of Easy Taxi Middle East.



“In many cases, haggling to a fixed amount is inequitable either for the passenger or the driver. We strongly support the Ministry of Transport in its plans to streamline public transport in the Kingdom, and have decided to meter all our cabs well in advance of the deadline in an expression of solidarity,” he said in a press statement

The Ministry of Transport will link cab meters to a tracking system connected to the ministries of interior and transport.



In a second phase, the metering system is expected to be rolled out for all public transport vehicles including student buses.



“Easy Taxi prides itself on connecting passengers and drivers in a convenient, easy and safe manner. The user experience is paramount for us. We are confident that the transparent use of meters in our cabs will create added confidence for our customers, and even better working conditions for our drivers.



“Our customers will only pay for the distance they travel while our drivers will not make losses in case of detours, heavy traffic or longer than expected journeys,” concluded Dr. Fouz. — SG