Minister of Construction, Housing and Infrastructure Dr Abdulla Muththalib announced last night that five cabs from the government's Male' Taxi Line will be operating in Vilimale'.
Speaking at the ceremony held to lay the foundation stone for the 300 flats being built in Vilimale' by Bank of Maldives through contracting RCC, the Minister said that when the government's taxi service is launched, five cars will be dedicated to provide service in Vilimale'.
As the service exclusively uses electric vehicles, they are suited to Vilimale's environment, the Minister said.
The government's Male' Taxi Line is set to be launched on April 2. The service aims to address the difficulties faced by Male' residents in obtaining taxis despite the approximately 2,500 private taxi cars currently registered for operation.
The first batch of EV cars to be used in the taxi service have now been brought to the Maldives. While a total of 150 cars are to be brought, the first batch included 60 vehicles. MTCC expects the second shipment, of 90 cars, to arrive by next Sunday.
The first batch of cars were of Lumin, S05 and S07 models from Changan Automobile.
MTCC has announced that taxi drivers working with the service will wear uniforms, while part-time drivers will wear a vest to identify them.
The government has not yet announced the prices of the service.
The taxi service will use a fleet of EV vehicles. Customers can order taxis via a dedicated mobile application, much like Uber and Grab in other countries. The service will be in operation around the clock.
