Minister of Economic Development, Transport and Trade Mohamed Saeed has announced today that the current booking time for a Male' Taxi Line cab is between 4 to 8 minutes on average. He stated that the dedicated mobile application for the service will also be launched next week, which would add convenience. 

At a press conference held this morning, a journalist asked the minister about public concerns regarding the Male' Taxi Line. In response, Minister Saeed confirmed that the Male' Taxi line mobile application has now been approved by Apple Store. 

Saeed stated that the app will be available for download on both iPhones and Android phones next week. 

Citing MTCC data, the minister said that the time between calling and booking a cab and the cab arriving at the pick up point averages at 4 to 8 minutes. Each ride takes an average of 2 to 12 minutes, with the demand for the service steadily increasing, he said. 

The Male' Taxi line conducted 11,128 trips between April 13 and 18, the minister revealed. After the web-based application was launched, 7,521 bookings were made between April 18 and May 1. 

"A [mobile] application has now been approved. God willing, the app will be approved and available for download in the AppStore either within the week or early next week," he said. 

"MTCC assures that bookings can be made via the phone app starting this week or next."

The minister said that the app has been designed prioritizing convenience for customers. 

He emphasized that the government strives to provide the best possible service to the public, while acknowledging that there will be factors needing improvement regardless of whether it is the government, or another entity, that introduces a new service. 

"What is being done now by the ministry, together with MTCC, is addressing and rectifying these issues. Once the service is provided via the application, issues will decrease and a trouble-free service will be provided," Saeed said.