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Taxis tips and advice posted by real travelers and Dubai locals.
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Taxis: Taxis are the way to go...
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  • Ladies Taxi in Dubai (from website) - Dubai
    Ladies Taxi in Dubai
    (from website)
    by JessH,
    2 more photos
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    > Taxis are relatively cheap (base charge Dhs 3.50 and then Dhs 1.60 per km) If the metre is broken, your trip is free.
    > Base charge from the airport is a ridiculous Dhs 25.- What a way to rip you off as soon as you step into the country.
    > If you have any complaints or forgot something in the car, call the company's number on the rear doors & report the cab number.
    > Many taxi drivers have poor English, so if you are not sure if the driver has understood you, don't get in! You could end-up having to pay a big bill for a trip to a wrong place.
    > It's normal to round-up the fare. If you were happy with the driver please tip generously - these guys work 12-hour shifts & earn peanuts, so every extra 5 or 10 Dhs really help.
    Due to this, unfortunately many drivers speed like lunatics just to squeeze as many passengers into a day as possible. To slow them down say "Shwaye Shwaye!" (slower / patience!)
    > Unfortunately, Dubai's taxi drivers are overworked and underpaid, and in the city's notorious traffic jams they have become rather "racist" and very often prefer Westerners and don't stop for Arabs or Asians. FULL STORY HERE: http://www.xpress4me.com/news/uae/dubai/20008259.html

    TOURIST TIP:
    Try to MEMORISE the general area & direction of your hotel. As in most major cities, some drivers will try & take you "the long way around".

    DUBAI IS NOT A PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY CITY. Many roads do not have sidewalks & not sufficient road crossings.

    DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES try to cycle around Dubai... you can cycle within the city's parks, but trying to cycle on roads is suicide!
    There are many different taxi-companies, but they all have a sign & are mostly cream or white with a different coloured roof.
    Emirates Taxi: +971 - 4 - 3394455.
    Metro Taxi: +971 - 4 - 2673222.
    National Taxi: +971 - 4 - 3390002.
    UPDATE: There are also LADIES TAXIS for women only. They are cream-coloured with pink roof.

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  • Phone: Dubai Transport: +971-4-2080808
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    Taxis: Taxis
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  • In the taxi from the airport - Dubai
    In the taxi from the airport
    by sue_stone
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    In a few years time Dubai is going to be home to one of the largest metro networks in the world. In the meantime, the main way for tourists to get around the city is by taxi. In London (or Sydney) terms, taxis in Dubai are cheap.

    Registered taxis have a standard "Taxi" sign on the roof, and a easy to read meter on the dash board. There also seemed to be some unmarked taxis that we caught a couple of times from our hotel, but these also had meters - though you had to ask for them to be activated. A couple of other times when we were out and about some suspicious acting characters asked us if we needed a taxi, but I would have been very hesitant to use an unmarked car one unless recommended by our hotel.

    The standard day time flag fall is 3 dirham, which increases to 3.50 dirham from 10pm-6am, or to 20 dirham for departs from the airport. Keep an eye on the meter as there are always some dodgy drivers out there. One time we jumped in a cab outside our hotel and the flag fall was set to 20 dirham. I questioned it with the driver and he changed it to 3 dirham. Needless to say he didn't get a tip.

    There seemed to be plenty of taxis everywhere we wanted one, however sometimes you must be prepared for a wait.... maybe even a very long wait - after shopping at the Deira City Centre Mall we had to queue for over 1 hour for a taxi - there was a constant stream of cabs, but an even longer queue of people waiting.

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  • Website: http://dtc.dubai.ae/en.portal
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    Taxis: Taxi - thecoolest transportation in Dubai
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  • The taxi is more comfortable type of transportation in Dubai. There are public busses as well but they exist only last 3-4 years. The main transport is always taxi it seems. It's cheap, in comparision with Moscow for example, and I think with another cities too. You can go by taxi from east to west for 15 USD. I believe it's very cheap!!! I used only taxi in the city and only once, for a probe, a bus. When you have a taxi you shouldn't surprise the taxi driver begin to count with 3 Dirhams (USD 0.82 around). Sometimes the drivers said they haven't change and before you use taxi I recommend to have many little notes. Moreover there are many private taxi cars (with green numbers), that to use it you should have a deal with driver. You can economize or pay much. I prefer to use public taxi with a counter.

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    Taxis: Water taxis,buses and your trusty feet..
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  • Getting around Dubai is as simple as walking from spot A to B(with just enough deviations for pitstops of course).All you need is to ask for a general map of the area and the rest takes care of itself.(most hotels and lodges would have these on hand)The landmarks and demarcations are clear and straightforward and it doesn't take much skill in finding your chosen destination.
    I found that the best way was just to wander with my map and experience Dubai grain by grain.Old Dubai is seperated from the New Dubai by the creek but is easily accessible with the local water taxis that await you by the water's edge...the abras.Don't foget to haggle over transportation costs though!
    Buses are regular and reliable enough and transport you to the city itself...as well as to all the major locations.
    I must admit I enjoyed Dubai on FOOT the best though!

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    Taxis: Dubai Taxi
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  • This is not a cheap way to travel, but much more comfortable. Taxi fare in Dubai starts from 3 Dirham. And if you call the operator to pick you up from certain location, the fare starts from 4 Dirham.
    The fare is around 1.71 Dirham per kilometer (need to check)

    My experience with taxi (I am regular taxi customer : ) ), usually the driver is well behave and they are friendly too. Tipping is not necessary, but according to my experience, they will be more than happy if you do.
    Some of taxi driver from certain company is trained to recognize the customer. It’s quite often for me to surprise when they recognize me after two weeks or even one month.

    My favorite is Dubai Transport Taxi.

    National Taxi 336-6611
    Dubai Transport 208-0808
    Cars Taxi 800-4825
    Metro Taxi 2673222

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  • Other Contact: http://www.dubaitransport.gov.ae
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    Taxis: Travel in comfort: Taxis
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  • Taking a taxi in Dubai is akin to a limousine experience. Cool and comfortable under the hot sun.

    All drivers wear neat crispy uniform with ties. They speak English. You can flag any taxi down at any spot. Everything is metered so you don't have to waste brain cells with bargaining.

    The only catch is that it's probably the most expensive mode of travelling in Dubai, especially if you are on a tight budget.

    I took a cab from the Spice Souk in Deira to the Jumeirah Free Beach and the 30 minutes or so journey bled about 20AED from my wallet.

    Meter Rate (circa Jan 08):
    Day Rate: 3AED plus 1.17AED per km
    Night Rate: 3.50AED plus 1.70AED per km
    Airport Rate: 16AED plus 0.50 fils per 500 metres

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  • Website: http://dtc.dubai.ae/en.portal
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    Taxis: Taxis in Dubai
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  • When you are in Dubai, suppose the only way to travel is to use Taxis.. The buses are hard to follow and not very often..

    Do not afraid to get on a taxi in Dubai. As the fuel is very cheap, that reflects the costs as well. I paid 2-3 dollars for many places..

    Most of the taxis are Toyota Camry, a good and climatised car gives a comfort in your travel. Air condition is a must in Dubai, so you will all get air conditioned taxis..

    In front of some shopping centers, you can see some taxis waiting in a queu and some others which are not queud.. The ones which are not waiting in a queu are the ones without a taximeter and they may ask more money from you.. So I would advice you to wait for the queu..

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    Taxis: Hey! Taxi!
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  • A lone taxi cruises the road along the Creek. - Dubai
    A lone taxi cruises the road
    along the Creek.
    by DesertRat
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    Over the past five years or so, Dubai has totally revamped the taxi system, ridding the emirate of virtually all the old ones and demanding that each taxi on the road be equipped with a meter. Costs are very reasonable: a 20 minute ride rarely costs more than about $3 or $4. With upwards of 14,000 of them, you'll almost never have to wait more than 5 minutes for one to come by. It's worth noting, too, that they're all equipped with GPS systems, so the company knows exactly where each cab is at any given time. This virtually guarantees that you won't be ripped off.

    Beware the illegal moonlighters, though: You'll often be approached at the entrances to shopping malls and ushered toward a private car. You'll be in no danger, but you may have an argument at the other end if you don't agree to a price beforehand!

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    Taxis: Taxi charges
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  • Taxi charges:
    Pick-up fee 3 Dhs (night time 3,50) and then 1,25 Dhs/km.
    Airport has special pick-up fee of 20Dhs and then 1,25Dhs/km

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    Taxis: Taxis
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  • Taxis are a cheap alternative to a rental car. Fares are cheaper than in most european countries and really affordable. For example, a drive from the airport to Jumeirah Beach was around 60.00 Dhs (2007), this included the basic fare of 25.00 Dhs and an extra 4.00 Dhs for using the motorway. However, this was the only case when the basic fare was used. I don’t know, if this was because it was very early in the morning or because it was a drive from the airport. Taxis are cream-coloured like in Germany with some coloured spot marking the company which owns the taxi. These companies have a good reputation and friendly, english-speaking drivers - although in one case, the english was horrible and if I say this, it was REALLY horrible. Just keep the infamous Dubai traffic jams in mind an read my tip about traffic in Dubai.

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