Amman municipality seeks smart system to organise taxi service

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) said on Sunday it has floated a tender to implement a new system that relies on smart technology to organise the service of taxis deployed in the capital.

Ayman Smadi, the executive director of the transport and traffic department at the municipality, said the new system, which will cover around 8,000 taxis, aims at adopting a tracking mechanism, providing more services to all Amman residents and organising services.

“Out of the 11,000 taxis in Amman, only 400 use smart technology. Other taxis do not have organised schedules, do not provide customers with proper services, and they sometimes even refuse to take passengers,” Smadi told The Jordan Times in a phone interview.

To address these problems, the system will help Amman residents identify the location of nearby taxis using GPS, he said.

“Taxis within a radius of 300m will be automatically identified via customers’ smart devices. This service will allow the customer to get full information, such as the driver’s name, licence plate number and the time expected for the car to arrive,” the GAM official added.

Smadi said the system will also allow the municipality and the traffic department to broadcast messages to taxi drivers if necessary and advise them on which routes to take in case of traffic jams.

“It is also for security and convenience purposes… It will regulate the complaints and help in studying areas where taxis are in high demand,” the official added.

He noted that the system is expected to be implemented within the next four months, noting that it will be available as a smartphone application and can also be used via standard phone calls. 

Six companies have submitted bids to implement the project, Smadi said.