Dubai's RTA Introduces Five-Star Taxi Ratings After 209 Million Passenger Trips in 2025

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority introduced a five-star rating system for taxi companies, with five-star operators receiving seven additional taxi plates, GulfNews reported on November 15, 2026. The emirate's taxis carried more than 209 million passengers on over 120 million trips in 2025.

How the RTA Five-Star Taxi Rating Works

The rating assesses taxi companies against 18 performance indicators grouped under four pillars: sustainability, technology, accountability and reliability. Indicators include customer satisfaction, traffic safety, vehicle cleanliness, driver behaviour, taxi availability during peak hours, electronic payments and the use of smart booking platforms. The system also measures how efficiently companies respond to passenger demand, including drivers' acceptance of electronic booking requests.

Companies achieving five stars receive seven additional taxi plates along with a certificate and trophy from RTA. Four-star operators receive five taxi plates. Companies receiving three stars or fewer must implement measures aimed at improving their performance and service standards. Passengers can see company ratings displayed on smart screens inside taxis.

Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, said the initiative reflects Dubai's commitment to a people-centred transport system. "The taxi sector is a key component of Dubai's integrated mobility system, supporting quality of life and the ease of movement of residents and visitors," he said. "We have linked rating levels to incentives that encourage outstanding companies to maintain their leadership, while at the same time introducing measures to improve the performance of lower-rated companies," he added.

Dubai's Taxi Fleet and Green Vehicle Share

Dubai's taxi sector comprises five operators: Dubai Taxi Company, Kabi Taxi, National Taxi, Arabia Taxi and Metro Taxi. Of the 14,346 taxis operating in 2025, 12,380 were electric or hybrid vehicles. RTA has raised the share of green vehicles in the taxi and limousine fleet to more than 72 per cent, while electric vehicle adoption has reached 19 per cent, exceeding the target set for 2026. The authority plans to convert the entire taxi fleet to electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2040, supporting its goal of zero-emission public transport by 2050.

RTA's Autonomous Taxi Expansion

According to akta.pro company records, RTA launched a public autonomous taxi service with Apollo Go in Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim districts in July 2026, marking the first fully driverless commercial robotaxi deployment in the region. The partnership with Dubai Taxi Company covers autonomous taxi fleet operations for the Apollo Go service. RTA plans to expand its autonomous taxi fleet from an initial 50 vehicles to over 1,000, and targets 25 per cent of all Dubai journeys by 2030 under its Self-Driving Transport Strategy.

Earlier RTA Milestones in 2026

RTA inaugurated Dubai Mobility Labs in Silicon Oasis on September 27, 2026, a testing facility for autonomous vehicles, Khaleej Times reported. On September 20, 2026, RTA completed a road project that cut Oud Maitha travel time from 20 to five minutes, increasing street capacity by 50 per cent to 15,600 vehicles per hour, GulfNews reported. RTA won the Dubai-it Award on October 11, 2026, for speed and efficiency, with Sheikh Hamdan praising its achievements, GulfNews reported.

What to Watch Next

RTA said the five-star rating system will be reviewed and updated periodically to reflect international best practices and changing passenger expectations.