22-07-2025
4 Dubai taxi tips to save you time (and money)
If you've been in Dubai for longer than five minutes, chances are you've hopped in a cab or two.
Dubai taxis are all over the city, dressed in brightly coloured roofs (we'll get to that later), and helping us zip from A to B.
But there are some top tips to know about the city's taxi fleets that we can almost guarantee you're not making the most of.
From cashback on your trips to the best time to book, scroll down for our best taxi hacks to use next.
4 Dubai Taxi hacks to try on your next trip
Check out the service fees
Credit: Dubai Taxi Company
If you're hunting for the best fare, it's worth keeping in mind that taxi prices fluctuate based on how you book them, what time you travel and your location.
For example, the base fare if you book on Bolt, S'hail or Careem is Dhs12, but if you hail it on the street outside of peak hours, the base fare lowers to Dhs5.
Taxis picking up from Dubai International Airport will also have a base fare of Dhs25, so expect your ride to be a little more expensive.
You can learn more about base fares on the Dubai Taxi Company website.
Get discounted taxi rides from the metro
If you use public transport in Dubai, this is one subscription service you should sign up for in Dubai.
Hala, the e-hailing taxi service, has a subscription programme called 'Hala Rides for Metro,' designed to save you some money on your transportation costs specifically to and from Dubai Metro stations.
For Dhs4.99 a month, subscribers can receive a 20 percent discount on up to ten Hala trips— with savings of up to Dhs5 per ride. That's Dhs50 every 10 rides, so it's a pretty good deal to save a little cash.
Know the best time to book
Depending on where and when you need to get somewhere, your journey time will vary.
According to Hala Taxi, the busiest hours of the day begin from 8am until 10am, so it's best to travel before or after this time.
Another peak time of day to avoid is around school pick-up between 3pm and 5pm. If you hail a cab after 7pm, you should notice it's a lot easier both for wait time and your journey time too.
Save on your journeys with Careem Plus
The app subscription service has the option to book a Hala Taxi, and you can actually make money back every time you book a trip.
Careem Plus members pay Dhs19 per month to use the service but make that money back twice over on average with monthly savings of Dhs40. Subscribers get 10 percent instant cashback on every Hala ride credited directly to their in-app wallet on the first 10 trips taken every month.
Data released by Hala in June showed that Dubai Taxi riders had saved Dhs15 million in four years through the service. Why not be one of them?
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