Saudi Arabia’s taxis go green

The minister of transport and chairman of the Public Transport Authority (PTA), Saleh Al-Jasser, launched a new, modern taxi project at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Wednesday.
As a result of collaboration between the PTA and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), taxis in the Kingdom, as well as gaining a new look and becoming more environmentally friendly, will now be equipped with electronic meter and payment facilities, as well as a supervised fare system.
Rumaih Al-Rumaih, president of the PTA said: “These new taxis are equipped with the latest technologies and features, and are aligned with public transportation systems.”
The launch is only one of numerous developments that aim to improve transportation, raise the quality of service for citizens and residents, and provide job opportunities in the Kingdom, added Al-Rumaih.
The newly implemented system states that vehicles can only become licensed taxis if they have operated for less than five years.
The green vehicles will be monitored and tracked to document quality of service and driver efficiency, equipped with screens that support both Arabic and English speakers in order to calculate fares, host driver information and provide a means to communicate with a command center.
They will be equipped with smart maps, free Wi-Fi, and a mobile app service that will hail the nearest taxi.
The new taxis will be appearing around major city airports, before becoming accessible on a larger scale over time as more taxis are licensed.