Ras Al Khaimah Transport Authority has entered into an agreement with Hala and Careem to provide the first e-hailing service for taxis and limos in the emirate. Eng. Ismail Al Balooshi stated that this initiative reflects RAKTA's commitment to the vision of Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, ruler of Ras Al Khaimah; increasing the level of happiness in the society, through advanced services, excellent hospitality, and seamless transport infrastructure for all citizens, residents and tourists. Al-Balooshi also stated, "This step comes from the authority's commitment to uplift the transport sector and ensure the provision of safe, reliable and smart transport services. It is in line with the authority's strategy of digital and smart transformation, to keep pace with the global transformation standards in the field of urban transport planning — whereby the aim is to facilitate movement of individuals around the city, reducing private car ownership." He also added, "The smart booking platform has not only become the most effective tool nowadays to align supply with demand, but also to enable people to smartly and seamlessly travel around the city." This service will provide customers with a smarter way to travel, giving them access to several benefits, including knowing their rides ETA, fare estimate and route upfront, along with their driver's details. App booking also enables a host of payment options, with cash, card, or in app payments possible, while riders will automatically collect Reward points for each trip. Hala rides will offer the most affordable option, with the added benefit of no surge pricing during peak hours. Clemence Dutertre, CEO of Hala, said: ''Hala's purpose is to empower people to move around more easily, leveraging Careem's best in class technology to deliver amazing experiences. We believe this ambition is shared by the Ras Al Khaimah Transport Authority, and city as a whole. We are therefore proud to announce this important initiative, which signals the first arrival of e-hailing in the emirate and Hala's first expansion. We are excited to have the opportunity to now serve the people of this unique city, and call Ras Al Khaimah home. Hala has been chosen as the trusted mode of transport for so many in Dubai for its high quality standards. The ability to offer Ras Al Khaimah residents the affordability of taxis, alongside the multitude of convenience and safety benefits offered by the Careem app, have ensured true value can be enjoyed by all riders. Bassel Al Nahlaoui, managing director of Careem (Gulf & Pakistan), said: "Since Careem's inception, our mission has always been to simplify people's lives. The technology we've been developing over the last 8 years has contributed to providing hundreds of millions of trips and changed the way people move in more than 100 cities in our region." He added: "Entering the Ras Al Khaimah market represents a huge cooperation between both public and private sectors and will allow us to deploy our technology to optimize the infrastructure and provide easy and convenient options for people to travel around seamlessly, in addition to a great customer experience." Both Hala and Careem will be launching in a pilot phase in Ras Al Khaimah until the ramp up to a larger fleet of taxis and limos takes place and will be available across the emirate by mid-August 2020. — SG
