9 Best Taxi Apps in Dubai: Which Is Cheapest in 2026?

Taxi Apps in Dubai

In this guide you will find all nine taxi apps in Dubai, each with what a ride costs, what you can book, how you pay, how to pay less and a download link, followed by which app is cheapest and how to get a normal taxi without an app.

Just want the cheapest ride every time? Jump to the local's pro tip.

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Here are the nine apps. The five that book regular Dubai taxis come first, then the private car and chauffeur apps, then the driverless one. Every card shows what a ride costs, what you can book, how you pay and how to pay less, so you can compare them as you scroll. Green cards book regular taxis, blue cards send private cars or chauffeurs, and the orange card is driverless.

1. Careem

Careem is the app most people in Dubai already have on their phone, and it is the only way to book a Hala taxi. Hala is a joint venture between the RTA and Careem, so when you choose "Hala Taxi" in the Careem app, a normal Dubai taxi comes to you and the meter runs at the RTA fare. Hala carried 41.3% of all taxi trips in Dubai in the first half of 2025, more than any other channel, according to the RTA.

The same app also books private cars: Comfort, Executive, Max for up to six people, and Kids, which comes with a child seat. These are priced by Careem, not by the taxi meter, so check the price on the screen before you confirm.

What should I watch out for? You may see an app called "HalaTaxi" in the App Store from a private seller. It is not the official service: Hala taxis are booked only in the Careem app. Careem's promo codes for other car types also do not work on Hala taxis.

2. Bolt

Bolt is a ride app from Estonia that works with Dubai Taxi Company (DTC), the city's largest taxi operator. Since May 2025 it has carried more than 6,000 DTC taxis, and later Kabi and Arabia Taxi cars joined too. It is the app to use if you want a Ladies and Family (pink) taxi, a taxi for People of Determination, or a taxi from the airport, because DTC lists all of these on Bolt.

Taxis on Bolt use the RTA meter fare, the same as in Careem. Bolt also offers private cars at its own prices.

What should I watch out for? If you pay by card, users say Bolt can hold an amount on the card that takes up to 30 days to be released, so check your statement after a ride.

3. Zed

Zed is a Dubai-made app owned by the Al Ghurair group. It books taxis from DTC, National Taxi and Kabi, which together came to 10,764 taxis in October 2025, more than 80% of Dubai's licensed fleet. What makes Zed different is planning: you can book a ride for later, or set a repeat ride for every working day.

What do I use it for? The same taxi ride every day, booked ahead or set to repeat, with cashback on each trip.

What should I watch out for? Zed's cashback needs no code, but it goes into your Zed wallet after each ride and you can spend it only on Zed. Its premium cars have their own prices, shown in the app.

4. S'hail

S'hail is the RTA's own app. Most people use it to plan trips by Metro, bus, tram and boat, but it also books a regular taxi, and the RTA lists it as one of its official taxi-booking apps. It is the easiest way to check whether the Metro would be quicker before you call a taxi.

You can also top up your nol card in S'hail. When you take a taxi, you pay the driver in the car.

5. Yango

Yango has run in Dubai since September 2022, and the RTA now lists it as a partner app for regular Dubai taxis. It also offers private cars in Comfort and Premium classes. Yango is useful if you travel across the UAE, because it also books public taxis in Abu Dhabi and works in Sharjah and Ajman.

What should I watch out for? Yango does not publish its Dubai fares for Comfort and Premium cars, so compare the price in the app with a taxi in Careem or Bolt.

6. Uber

Uber is the name many visitors look for first, but it works differently in Dubai: Uber does not book regular RTA taxis. It sends private cars, from UberX and Comfort to Black, and the price is set by Uber and shown before you confirm. Uber also owns Careem's ride business, so many people use both.

Uber is also the app for driverless rides. WeRide cars with no driver have taken paying riders through Uber in Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah since 31 March 2026, and Baidu's Apollo Go cars joined on 20 August 2026. You can choose "Autonomous", or one may be sent when you book UberX or Comfort in that area.

What should I watch out for? Uber's cars are priced by Uber and usually cost more than a taxi, so compare the price on the screen with a taxi in Careem or Bolt before you confirm.

7. Blacklane

Blacklane is a chauffeur service, not a taxi app. You book a driver in a business-class car, a First-class car or, since July 2025, a Rolls-Royce on its Platinum class. The price is fixed when you book, which helps for an airport run when you do not want surprises.

It also takes bookings by the hour and rides to other emirates.

8. Wheely

Wheely is a chauffeur app from London that officially launched in Dubai in February 2024. It sends Mercedes and BMW cars with trained drivers, in Business, XL and a members-only First class. Airport rides have a fixed fare.

Wheely does not publish its Dubai prices, so you see the fare in the app before you book.

9. Apollo Go

Apollo Go is Baidu's driverless taxi, and it is the newest way to get around Dubai. The car has no driver: you book in the app, walk to the car and unlock it with a code from your phone. Rides started on 30 March 2026, and in July 2026 the RTA set the fare at AED 5 a ride.

The catch is the area. Apollo Go works only in Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah for now, with up to three passengers. You can also get an Apollo Go car through Uber, where Uber sets the price.

Which Taxi App Is Cheapest in Dubai?

Every taxi app uses the same RTA tariff. Careem (Hala), Bolt, Zed, Yango and S'hail charge the same rate a kilometre and the same minimum fare. Small differences come from peak hours, which are not the same in every app, and from offers. So the cheapest taxi app is usually the one that gives you money back right now. These are the offers we found when we checked in October 2026:

A few things decide whether an offer really saves you money:

• The money back stays in the app. Careem, Zed and Yango pay cashback into their own wallet, so you can only spend it on the next ride or order in that app.
• Careem Plus pays off only if you ride a lot. The AED 29 fee comes back only when your 10 rides in a month add up to AED 290 or more. Careem's promo codes for other car types do not work on Hala taxis.
• Offers change without notice. Zed's 15% was announced for June and then extended for August, and Bolt's 30% was a launch offer. Open the app's offers page before you book.

Watch for two extra charges in any app. Users say cancellation fees are sometimes charged when the driver never came, and the final fare can be higher than the quote after a route change. If this happens, ask for a refund in the app's help section, with the trip date and time.

So the real saving comes from when and how you get the taxi, not which app you open:

• Hail a taxi on the street when you can. It starts at AED 5, against AED 9 to AED 13 when you book by app.
• Avoid peak times if your trip can wait. From Monday to Thursday the peak is 8am to 10am and 4pm to 8pm. On Friday it is 8am to 10am and 4pm to midnight, and on Saturday and Sunday it is 4pm to midnight.
• Short trips cost at least AED 13 by app. For a ride of a few minutes, a street taxi or the Metro is cheaper.

After the starting fare, the meter adds about AED 2.45 a kilometre, the rate on Dubai Taxi's page in October 2026. The RTA changes this rate with fuel prices. Waiting costs 50 fils a minute, Salik toll gates are added to the fare, and a trip through Sharjah costs AED 20 more.

Private cars on Uber, Careem, Blacklane and Wheely are priced by each company and usually cost more than a taxi. Compare the price on the screen with a taxi in the same app before you confirm.

How to Get the Cheapest Taxi in Dubai Every Time: The Local's Pro Tip

Here is a local's pro tip: keep at least three taxi apps on your phone, and choose between them each time you leave. Which one you open depends on how much time you have.

If you have a few minutes, compare the price in all three apps and book the one that shows the lowest. The fare is set by the RTA, but the price on the screen can still differ a little by area and by time of day. Peak hours and booking fees are not the same in every app, and each app runs its own cashback and offers.

If you are in a hurry, open the app that has sent you a car most reliably over the last few months. Taxi drivers we spoke to told us they move between apps and taxi companies, depending on which one is treating them better at the time. So the app that finds you a car fastest changes over the months, and your own recent rides are the best guide.

A good set of three is Careem, Bolt and Zed. Together they reach almost every taxi in Dubai, and Bolt adds pink taxis and taxis for People of Determination.

How Do I Call a Normal Taxi in Dubai?

You can get a normal Dubai taxi in three ways: by app, by phone, or by waving one down on the street.

1. By app. Open Careem and choose Hala Taxi, or use Bolt, Zed, Yango or S'hail. All five book the RTA's licensed taxis.
2. By phone. Call the DTC call centre on 800 88088 and press 2 to book a taxi. For a taxi for People of Determination, call 04 208 0190.
3. On the street. Wave at any taxi with its roof light on. Taxis stop only where it is safe, so stand at a taxi stand or a lay-by, not on a main road.

At Dubai International Airport, taxis wait in the queue outside arrivals at Terminals 1, 2 and 3. The airport starting fare is AED 20.