Taxi Operator Update
Cars Taxi Dubai Is Now Kabi
Dubai's oldest private taxi franchise has a new name and a new roof colour. Here is what happened to Cars Taxi, how to recognise and book its cars in 2026, and which contact routes are real.
What Happened to Cars Taxi?
Nothing closed. Cars Taxi was renamed, and the company now trades as Kabi under Al Ghurair, one of the UAE's big family business groups. Its old address, carstaxi.ae, forwards straight to kabi.ae, and Al Ghurair has said the move from Cars Taxi to Kabi was meant as a change of direction rather than only a new badge. The RTA franchise and the meter carried over; the name and the roof colour are what changed.
The name is new, the company is not. Its path from Dubai's first franchise to one of the largest taxi operators in the country:
Blue Roof or Purple Roof: Spotting a Kabi Car
Expect both colours in 2026. Cars Taxi's cars wore a blue roof; under the Kabi name that blue is giving way to purple, the brand colour of the Al Ghurair group, and no end date for the changeover has been announced. So a cream Dubai taxi with a blue roof and one with a purple roof now belong to the same company. Time Out Dubai, reporting the switch, said the purple-roof cars also get refreshed interiors with leather seats.
Colour is only a rough guide once you are out of the car. To trace a ride later, the taxi number printed on the receipt, or saved in the app's ride history, is what counts, and the rest of the city's roof colours are decoded in our guide to Dubai taxi colours.
Still an Ordinary Metered Taxi
Kabi is a taxi franchise licensed by the RTA, not a ride-hailing brand, and its cars behave like any licensed Dubai cab: they stop for a raised arm and run the regulated meter. It sits in the same small group of franchise holders as Dubai Taxi Company, National Taxi, Arabia Taxi and Metro Taxi, all of which were named with Kabi Taxi when card payment by American Express reached the franchise fleets in July 2025.
Outside Dubai the story goes back further than the rename. Cars Taxi won one of the seven Abu Dhabi taxi franchises handed out in 2007, and Time Out Dubai counted purple-roof Kabi cars in Abu Dhabi and Fujairah as well as Dubai.
Booking a Kabi Taxi: Bolt, Zed and the Other Apps
Apps are the way in. The RTA took taxi dispatch away from its call centre in January 2020, and on 24 September 2025 Dubai Taxi Company, Bolt, Kabi and Zed announced an alliance that put Kabi's 3,680 Dubai taxis on the Bolt and Zed apps, with newly added cars joining automatically. Zed is a sister business, since Al Ghurair's mobility division runs both the app and the taxi company. In 2026 the RTA also points riders to Hala and Yango for taxi bookings.
Because Dubai Taxi Company pooled its own fleet into the same apps, booking on Bolt or Zed may bring a red roof rather than a purple one. We found no Kabi booking number on any official or company page, so we cannot point you to a phone line. Apps, hotel desks, ranks and street hailing are compared side by side in our Dubai taxi booking guide.
What a Kabi Ride Costs
Exactly what the same trip costs in any other licensed Dubai taxi. The RTA sets the tariff for every franchise, so the new name has not changed the meter, and the RTA's 2026 message on booking apps promised the same regulated fares on Hala, Bolt, Zed or Yango. Flag falls, per-kilometre rates and surcharges are broken down in our guide to UAE taxi fares.
Kabi and Cars Taxi Contact Details
No customer phone number for Kabi or Cars Taxi turned up in our September 2026 checks of RTA, Kabi and Al Ghurair pages. kabi.ae is a holding page, and the Al Ghurair mobility page lists no customer line for the taxi business. For a problem with a ride, go to the regulator, which covers Kabi like every other franchise:
Old Cars Taxi phone numbers and addresses still circulate on directory sites, but because no RTA, Kabi or Al Ghurair page confirms them, we have not reprinted them. A complaint moves fastest when it names the taxi number, the date, the pickup time and the route, all of which sit on a receipt or in an app trip record. Every RTA channel is listed on our Dubai taxi contact numbers page.
Left Something in a Kabi Car?
Go to the RTA rather than hunting for a company number: call 800 90 90 or file the report in the S'hail app, giving the trip time and taxi number. If the ride came through Bolt or Zed, the app's trip record holds both. The full process, cash fares with no receipt included, is set out in our guide to lost property in Dubai taxis.
Booking Ahead Instead
An app taxi is assigned at the moment you ask, which suits a quick trip across town but not a 5am flight, a family landing with a trolley of bags, or a meeting in Abu Dhabi. For those, a private chauffeur arranged in advance is the steadier option.
With Gulf Chauffeur you know the car, the driver and the price before the day itself, and the driver comes to your door or meets you at arrivals. Intercity runs are quoted as one fixed figure. Message us your route and timing on WhatsApp for a quote.
Sources
- Al Ghurair Mobility - Al Ghurair
- Dubai Taxi Company and Kabi by Al Ghurair join forces - Dubai Taxi Company
- Goodbye blue roofs: Dubai taxis get a purple makeover - ArabWheels
- Contact us - Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)
- RTA migrates taxi booking services to the Hala e-hailing platform - Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)
Fares, numbers and rules change. Check the official source before you rely on a figure.
Questions About Cars Taxi
Cars Taxi and Kabi FAQ
What is Cars Taxi Services Company LLC called now?
Kabi. The Dubai taxi company listed in business directories as Cars Taxi Services Company LLC now trades as Kabi, owned by the Al Ghurair group, and its old website carstaxi.ae forwards to kabi.ae. It is the same franchise that began in 2000, still licensed by the RTA and still charging the RTA meter.
Is Cars Taxi Dubai still operating?
Yes, under the Kabi name. Dubai Taxi Company put the Kabi fleet in Dubai at 3,680 taxis in September 2025, and Al Ghurair reported more than 4,200 across the UAE that year. The cars are ordinary metered taxis: you can flag one on the street or get one through an app such as Bolt or Zed.
What colour are Cars Taxi cabs in Dubai?
Blue or purple. Cars Taxi used a blue roof, and Kabi is swapping it for purple, the brand colour of its parent Al Ghurair. No finish date has been announced, so in 2026 you will see both. The body stays the standard cream of a licensed Dubai taxi.
How do I book a Cars Taxi in Dubai?
Through an app, or by hailing one. Kabi's Dubai fleet joined Bolt and Zed under its September 2025 alliance with Dubai Taxi Company, and the RTA also names Hala and Yango for taxi bookings. We could not verify any Kabi booking phone number. The app picks the car, so a red-roof Dubai Taxi Company cab may arrive instead.
Where is the Cars Taxi office in Dubai?
Neither kabi.ae, which is only a holding page for now, nor the Al Ghurair mobility page gives an office address or customer phone line, and we found none on RTA pages either. Addresses on directory sites are unconfirmed. For complaints, fares or lost items, the RTA on 800 90 90 or [email protected] handles every licensed Dubai taxi, Kabi included.
Private Chauffeur
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