The government taxi line service will be available to the public by the end of August, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Mohamed Ameen has revealed.
The decision by the government to introduce its own taxi line comes at the back of mounting complaints of poor quality, high taxi fares and unavailability of taxis in the capital Malé region.
The government has handed over the project to introduce a taxi line in the capital Male’ region to the state-owned Maldives Transport and Contracting Company Plc (MTCC).
The taxi line will use 100 percent environmentally friendly, electric vehicle (EV) taxis as the government prepares to roll out the initiative in the middle of the year.
In an exclusive interview with PSM, Minister Ameen said a supplier has been designated and the production of the taxis will commence on 10 June.
"Since it's a full EV setup, there's a lot of work to be done. Suppliers have been identified. Agreements have been signed with them. Now, looking at the production line, production will start on the 10th of this month,” he explained.
The special designing required had caused the delay in the timeline which was originally planned for July, he said.
“What you have to understand is that this is not something you buy retail. We are asking for a specific size with installation of specific equipment. So we are aiming to have this service available to the public no later than the end of August,” the Minister added.
Minister Ameen has continuously allayed concerns of private taxi service providers over the imminent launch of the government taxi line.
According to the Minister, the service will open up opportunities for part time and full time cabbies.
The service will be managed by MTCC through a software similar to Uber or Grab concept, he had said.