Dubai’s Taxi Giants and Hala Extend Partnership to Shape the Next Chapter of Mobility

Dubai Taxi Company and National Taxi have renewed their strategic agreement with Hala for five more years, reinforcing their commitment to the digital evolution of the emirate's iconic taxi network.

The partnership between Dubai’s traditional taxi operators and the region’s pioneering e-hailing platform represents something altogether more significant than a simple commercial renewal. It is, rather, a statement of intent: that the future of mobility in Dubai belongs not to those who dismiss the past, but to those who thoughtfully integrate it with technological innovation.

Dubai Taxi Company PJSC and National Taxi LLC have extended their strategic agreement with Hala, the joint venture between Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority and Careem, securing the collaboration for a further five years. The renewal deepens a relationship that has fundamentally reshaped how residents and visitors access Dubai’s taxi fleet since Hala’s launch in 2019.

Through the renewed agreement, more than 7,700 taxis will continue to be made available for booking through Hala on the Careem app, alongside the airport fleet. This scale reflects the platform’s integration of over 26,000 drivers and 13,000 taxis, creating a digital ecosystem that has facilitated nearly 120 million journeys since the partnership commenced. The figures speak to a transformation that has been both quiet and profound: the seamless absorption of Dubai’s historic taxi network into the contemporary expectations of digital mobility.

What distinguishes Hala’s model within the regional context is its deliberate architecture. Rather than displacing traditional taxi operators, it has created a bridge between Dubai’s established transport infrastructure and the mobility patterns of a modern, globally mobile city. As the emirate advances a transformative three-dimensional mobility system spanning sky, ground and underground infrastructure, the renewal of this partnership underscores the importance of coherent, integrated thinking across all layers of urban transport.

The extension of this strategic alliance signals confidence in both organisations’ capacity to navigate the evolving demands of a city that continues to set its own standards for innovation. It demonstrates, too, the RTA’s commitment to the principles that have guided its recent achievements, including its recognition with the Dubai-it Award for Institutions in the Field of Government for excellence in infrastructure and mobility services.

What it means for Abu Dhabi

The renewal of this partnership in Dubai carries resonance across the emirates as a model for how established transport operators and private sector technology platforms might collaborate at scale. The success of the Hala platform, now one of the region’s longest-standing e-hailing solutions, offers a template for the integration of legacy infrastructure with digital innovation that other emirates may observe with interest.

Beyond the specifics of Dubai’s taxi network, this agreement reflects a broader regional commitment to sustainable urban mobility. As Dubai continues to develop its comprehensive approach to transportation, including initiatives like the EV World 2026 conference, such partnerships become essential to the creation of integrated, resilient transport ecosystems that serve residents and visitors alike.

Source: WAM