The government will expand its newly inaugurated, eco-friendly ‘Malé Taxi Line’ to Addu City later this year as part of a broader mandate to modernise urban transit, Mohamed Ameen, the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, announced Thursday. The initiative, spearheaded by the administration of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, seeks to address systemic transportation challenges in the southern atoll by introducing a state-led service matching the capital’s operational standards.
"In accordance with the President's directives, and recognising the urgent need for such essential services outside the capital, specifically within Addu Atoll, we are actively advancing this initiative," Minister Ameen said, adding that the expansion would be established in the "very near future this year.".
The service features a 24-hour fleet of fully electric vehicles in three sizes, a move Minister Ameen described as "a critical step toward achieving the carbon footprint reduction targets announced by the President at COP29." This transition coincides with the rapid growth of the Maldives’ bridge network, which has rendered land transit a daily necessity for a burgeoning population.
To bolster the industry, the government has halved the registration threshold for taxi centres to 50 vehicles and now permits drivers to affiliate with multiple centres simultaneously. Minister Ameen noted that the strategy is anchored by passenger safety, regulated fare structures, and mobile technology.
As the bridge network eventually extends to Villimalé, Gulhifalhu, and Thilafushi, the administration plans to scale fleet capacity while maintaining a strictly Maldivian workforce with full-time and part-time opportunities to provide immediate relief to citizens.