Dubai: Taking a taxi from Dubai to the Northern Emirates has become costlier as the starting fare has been set at Dh20 with immediate effect, Gulf News has learnt.

"The starting fare of Dh20 is not just from Dubai to Sharjah, it is applicable on trips from Dubai to other Northern Emirates including Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah," said a senior official at the RTA. However, he said there is no change of starting fare for passengers travelling to Abu Dhabi, Hatta, Al Ain and Fujairah.

The Dubai move reciprocates a similar measure by Sharjah Transport Corporation which set the starting taxi fare at Dh20 on December 1 for passengers travelling from Sharjah to Dubai.

According to the RTA official, the starting fare has been increased as an incentive to taxi drivers who often refuse to take passengers from Dubai to Sharjah and vice-versa with the excuse that inter-emirates trips waste their time due to heavy traffic and badly affect their daily income targets. They said that it took at least a couple of hours for a round trip and sometimes they earn only Dh20 to Dh30.

They also lose money because of an old rule that does not allow a taxi driver from one emirate to pick passengers from another emirate. For example, if a Dubai-registered taxi takes a passenger to Sharjah, it returns empty and a similar rule applies to taxis registered in other emirates.

The RTA has also introduced a minimum fare of Dh10 for passengers travelling within Dubai. The new fare structure was introduced on March 31.

Though a senior RTA official denied this move and said that it would be done later, Gulf News took the taxi for short trips and ended up paying Dh10 even when the fare on the metre was just Dh7. What bothered commuters is the RTA's failure to announce the new fare structure as the commuters were taken aback with sudden fare increase.

"It is not fair to increase fare when traffic has eased up in Dubai due to the improved road network," said Mohammad Omar, a Sharjah resident who works in Dubai. He said that travelling time between Dubai and Sharjah has also eased because of the improvement of Al Ittihad Road - the main highway linking Dubai with Sharjah.

"I think the authorities should revise their decision because it would discourage people from using taxis and more people will end up buying private cars," he added.