More taxi riders use Nol cards to pay fare

More and more taxi riders are now using their credit and Nol cards to pay fares, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) revealed on Wednesday.
From January last year until end of April this year, the number of taxi fare payments using credit and Nol cards has reached 590,585 transactions in Dubai.
Out of the total dealings, 324,255 transactions were registered in the first four months of 2017 alone as compared to the 266,330 over-all transactions in 2016.
"(This) reflects the uptake of the service considering the expanding use of such cards by the public as a quick and handy means of payment for various services. This service responds to the needs of the Smart City initiative of the Dubai Government," said Adel Shakri, director of Transportation Systems at RTA's Public Transport Agency.
The use of credit and Nol cards is a project implemented by the RTA last year after forging the partnership with Network International LLC; the provider of e-payment devices fitted to taxicabs in Dubai.
Shakri noted that payment of taxi fare using credit and Nol cards is available in about 8,000 cabs across Dubai.
"The RTA is considering charting out plans covering all taxicabs in Dubai in a way that adds to the convenience of residents, visitors and tourists of the emirate," he added.
Meanwhile, the RTA has given awards to several cab drivers who have achieved the highest score in the use of the e-payment transactions. "The objective of honouring these cab drivers is to encourage cabbies to make it easy for taxi riders to pay the applicable fares through credit/Nol cards, and avoid excuses hindering the use of such technology," noted Sharkri.
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