Dubai Taxi Colours Explained

Dubai Taxi Colour Code (Quick Answer)

In Dubai, every taxi has a cream body and a coloured roof panel, and that roof colour tells you which RTA-licensed company operates the vehicle - red is Dubai Taxi Corporation, yellow is National Taxi (now owned by DTC), blue or purple is Kabi (formerly Cars Taxi), green is Arabia Taxi, and orange is Metro Taxi. Here is the full Dubai taxi colour code at a glance:

Dubai Taxi Colour Code: Roof Panels Explained

Every standard taxi in Dubai has the same cream (off-white) body. What distinguishes one operator from another is the coloured panel on the roof of the vehicle. The RTA licenses multiple private companies to run Dubai's metered taxi fleet, and each company has a distinct roof colour.

Every operator uses the same RTA metered rates. The fare from A to B is the same regardless of which company's taxi you get into. The roof colour is purely for operator identification - it does not indicate price tier or service level.

The Lexus and Premium Taxi Colours

The RTA also operates a premium tier fleet known as Lexus taxis. These are typically dark-coloured Lexus ES sedans and are visually distinct from the cream standard fleet. Lexus taxis are metered vehicles and cannot be pre-booked in advance. You request them through the Dubai Taxi app and availability is limited.

UAE Taxi Colours by Emirate

• Dubai: Cream body, coloured roof (red, yellow, blue, purple, green, or orange)
• Abu Dhabi: Cream body with a gold or copper horizontal stripe along the side (TransAD)
• Sharjah: Cream body, SRTA-licensed fleet - similar cream livery to Dubai but operated separately
• Ajman: Cream vehicles, Ajman Transport Authority licensed
• Ras Al Khaimah: Cream taxis, RAK Roads and Transport Authority fleet

Why the Colour Matters for Lost Property

Knowing which company's taxi you used is useful if you leave something behind. The RTA call centre on 800 90 90 (or [email protected]) takes lost property reports for every licensed Dubai taxi, whichever company runs it, and Dubai Taxi Company's own FAQ sends passengers there too. DTC also has its own customer line, 800 88088. The roof colour - or the taxi plate number if you noted it - helps the RTA narrow the search to one operator's fleet. A gold-striped Abu Dhabi taxi sits outside that system: TransAD handles its lost property on 600-535353.

This is one practical reason some passengers prefer pre-booked private chauffeurs: with Gulf Chauffeur, you have the driver's contact details and they have yours. There is no anonymous lost property system to deal with.