between 4pm and 5� 30 pm
when most drivers end their
shifts and have to deliver their
cars to their partners�Taxi companies
cars Taxis (%04-269 3344;
blue roof)
dubai Transport
company (%04-208 0808;
red roof)
Metro Taxis (%04-267
3222; orange roof)
national Taxis (%04-339
0002; yellow roof)
ladies Taxi (%04-208
0808; pink roof)It’s perfectly fine for women
to ride alone in a taxi, even
at night� However, if you
prefer, you can also call the
last number of the above list
(flagfall Dh7) and request a
Ladies Taxi, complete with
pink roof and lady drivers�Car
If you are planning on taking
an excursion from Dubai,
consider hiring your own
wheels so you can get off the
major highways and stop
and explore as you please�
Well-maintained multilane
highways link the cities� Pet-
rol stations are plentiful and
petrol is sold by the imperial
gallon (an imperial gallon
is just over 4�5L) and costs
around Dh8 per gallon�
If you decide to drive
around the city, bear in mind
that traffic congestion in
Dubai can be a nightmare at
peak hours, ie between 7am
and 9am, 1pm and 2pm and
most of the evening from
5pm onwards� The worst
congestion is around the
approaches to Al-Maktoum
and Al-Garhoud Bridges and
along Al-Ittihad Rd towards
Sharjah� Accidents are fre-
quent; tune into the radio to
get traffic updates�car hire
To hire a car, you must be
over the age of 21 and have avalid credit card and interna-
tional driving licence, in addi-
tion to your home licence�
Daily rates start at about
Dh200 for a small manual
car, including comprehensive
insurance and unlimited kilo-
metres� Expect surcharges
for airport rentals, additional
drivers, one-way hire and
drivers under 25 years of age�
Most companies have child
and infant safety seats for
a fee, but these must be re-
served well in advance� Check
for deals with the online travel
agencies, travel agents or car-
rental brokers such as auto
europe (www.autoeurope.com)
and holiday autos (www
.holidayautos.co.uk)�
Dubai has scores of car-
rental agencies, from major
global players to no-name
local companies� The former
may charge more but you get
peace of mind knowing that
you can get full insurance and
round-the-clock assistance�
The following international
agencies have offices in the
airport arrivals hall, around
town and in major hotels�
avis (%airport 04-220 3800,
head office 04-295 7121; http://www.
avis.com)
budget (%airport 04-282
2727, head office 04-282 2727;
http://www.budget-uae.com)
europcar (%airport 04-224
5240, head office 04-339 4433;
http://www.europcar-dubai.com)
hertz (%airport 04-224 5222,
head office 04-206 0206; www
.hertz-uae.com)Thrifty (%airport 04-224
5404, head office 04-331 8772;
http://www.thrifty.com)insurance
You will be offered a choice
of insurance plans� If pos-
sible, opt for the most com-
prehensive as minor prangs
are common here� If you
have a breakdown, contact
the arabian automobile
association (aaa; % 800
4900; http://www.aaauae.com) or the
international automobile
Touring club (iaTC; % 800
5200; http://www.iatcuae.com)�parking
Increasingly, the busier
city streets of Dubai have a
strictly enforced four-hour
limit on parking� Tickets are
purchased from an orange
machine and displayed on
your dashboard� Rates start
at Dh1 for the first hour, Dh5
for two hours, Dh8 for three
and Dh11 for four hours�
Parking rates apply from 8am
to 1pm and from 4pm to 9pm
Saturday to Thursday� Pay
with cash or by credit card�
Parking in the centre of Dubai
is free on Friday and holidays�
Fines for not buying a ticket
start at Dh100�road rules
̈ Driving is on the right.
̈ The speed limit is 60km/h on
city streets, 80km/h on major
city roads and 200km/h on
dual-lane highways.accidenT alerTIf you are unfortunate enough to have an accident, no
matter how small, you are required to wait at the scene
and report it to the police (%999)� unless your car is
causing a major traffic jam, do NOT move it until the
police arrive� If there has been an injury, or it’s not blind-
ingly obvious who was at fault, don’t move the vehicles
at all� For insurance-claim purposes you must have a
police report, and if you move your car, the police may
not be able to issue a complete report� Outside Dubai
you should leave your car exactly where it is, no matter
how bad an obstruction it is causing, and call the police
immediately�Trans
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