DUBAI // Families who want to travel with the city's safest taxi drivers can now pay for the privilege.

The In-Safe-Hands taxi service, launched yesterday, uses about 60 cabbies with long service and no traffic offences or customer complaints registered against them.

Fares in the new taxis are Dh25 at flagfall and Dh1.71 a kilometre, compared with Dh3 to Dh20 flagfall and Dh1.60 a kilometre in other cabs. Waiting time is the same, at 50 fils a minute.

"The customer can also select the gender of the driver, but for a female driver to be requested, a male passenger must be below 12 years of age, with a woman, or be travelling with family," said Yousef Al Ali, the acting chief executive of the Dubai Taxi Corporation. "Passengers below the age of 10 must be accompanied by an adult."

"The service is personalised and characterised by swift and quality delivery through selecting a number of excellent cabbies," said Abdul Mohsen Ibrahim, the chief executive in charge of strategy and corporate governance at the Roads and Transport Authority and head of the authority's Dubai Taxi Supervisory Committee.

The taxis can be ordered by calling 04 208 0808.

ealghalib@thenational.ae