Dubai Taxi FareCalculator
Estimate a Dubai taxi trip from the RTA starting fare, AED 2.45 per km, waiting time, and Sharjah and Salik extras.
- Street hail, e-hail and airport
- E-hail peak windows built in
- Minimum fare applied
- Free, no sign-up
Your trip
Free, instant, nothing is stored
An estimate, not a quote. The meter decides the final fare. The minimum fare is applied to the meter part only.
Your estimate
Estimated total fare, before any tip
About this calculator
This Dubai taxi fare calculator estimates a trip from the starting fare published by the Roads and Transport Authority and the AED 2.45 per kilometre rate listed by Dubai Taxi Company. Pick the service, the pickup time and the distance, and add waiting time, a Sharjah crossing or Salik gates. The result is a guide, because a real meter follows the route and the traffic.
How the Dubai taxi fare is worked out
RTA’s fare page describes the fare as a base fare plus a kilometre charge, waiting time, and any Sharjah, Port Rashid, DARB or Salik fee. We follow that formula. Starting fares and the e-hail peak windows are in our Dubai taxi fare guide.
| Service | Starting fare |
|---|---|
| Street hail, regular, family and Hatta taxi | AED 5 from 6 am to 10 pm; AED 5.5 from 10 pm to 6 am |
| E-hail booking | AED 9 normally; AED 13 in peak windows; AED 10 overnight |
| Airport taxi | AED 20 for a normal car and AED 25 for a van, all day |
| Port Rashid | AED 25, all day |
| People of Determination taxi, street hail | AED 8 from 6 am to 10 pm; AED 9 from 10 pm to 6 am |
- Find the starting fare for your service, day and pickup time.
- Add AED 2.45 for each kilometre.
- Add 50 fils for each minute of waiting.
- If a street-hail total is under AED 12, or an e-hail total is under AED 13, it is raised to that minimum fare.
- Add AED 20 for a Sharjah crossing and any Salik gates you enter.
Dubai taxi fare worked examples
The table applies the formula. It is our arithmetic from the published figures, not a fare quoted by RTA.
| Trip | Starting fare | Distance charge | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Street hail, Monday 09:00, 10 km | AED 5.00 | AED 24.50 | AED 29.50 |
| Street hail, Monday 23:00, 10 km | AED 5.50 | AED 24.50 | AED 30.00 |
| E-hail, Monday 17:00, 10 km | AED 13.00 | AED 24.50 | AED 37.50 |
| E-hail, Saturday 11:00, 10 km | AED 9.00 | AED 24.50 | AED 33.50 |
| Street hail, 1 km only (minimum fare) | AED 5.00 | AED 2.45 | AED 12.00 (raised to minimum) |
| Airport taxi, 25 km | AED 20.00 | AED 61.25 | AED 81.25 |
| Street hail, 15 km, 10 min waiting, Sharjah | AED 5.00 | AED 36.75 | AED 66.75 |
E-hail peak windows
E-hail starting fares follow both the clock and the day. Monday to Thursday the AED 13 windows are 8 to 10 am and 4 to 8 pm. On Friday they are 8 to 10 am and 4 pm to midnight. On Saturday and Sunday it is 4 pm to midnight. Overnight the fare is AED 10, and otherwise AED 9. RTA’s weekday table prints its first row as 6 am to 8 pm, which overlaps the next row, so we followed the Dubai Taxi Company times.
Assumptions this calculator makes
- One kilometre rate. RTA’s page lists no per-kilometre rate. We use Dubai Taxi Company’s AED 2.45 for every service, including airport and Port Rashid trips, where the real rate may be different.
- Minimum fare. We apply AED 12 for street hail and AED 13 for e-hail to the meter part only. We did not find whether extras count towards it. For airport, Port Rashid and People of Determination taxis we found no minimum.
- Tolls are your input. RTA does not publish the Salik, DARB or Port Rashid fee amounts in the pages we read. Salik gates are charged to the passenger.
- Route and traffic. The meter follows the road taken, so a distance from a map app is only an approximation. Fares can change at event sites and on New Year’s Eve.
- Sharjah. We add AED 20 and did not confirm whether some routes cost more.
Taxi problems and how to fix them
Most taxi complaints are about the start fare, extra charges, or the route. The fare ladder below gives you a figure to check the meter against before you pay.
Fare ladder: what the formula gives
| Distance | Street hail, daytime | Street hail, after 10 pm | E-hail, Monday 5 pm peak | Airport taxi, normal car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 km | AED 17.25 | AED 17.75 | AED 25.25 | AED 32.25 |
| 10 km | AED 29.50 | AED 30.00 | AED 37.50 | AED 44.50 |
| 15 km | AED 41.75 | AED 42.25 | AED 49.75 | AED 56.75 |
| 20 km | AED 54.00 | AED 54.50 | AED 62.00 | AED 69.00 |
| 30 km | AED 78.50 | AED 79.00 | AED 86.50 | AED 93.50 |
| 40 km | AED 103.00 | AED 103.50 | AED 111.00 | AED 118.00 |
These use the starting fares and AED 2.45 per kilometre from the sections above, with no waiting time, Salik or Sharjah charge. Traffic and waiting add to the meter. A fare far above the ladder is a reason to ask questions, not proof of anything.
The start fare jumped to AED 25
A r/dubai thread in March 2026 reported a fare that started far above the listed price.
“I’ve had two taxi rides now where the base fare jumped from 5 AED to 25 AED because the GPS detected the location as Ajman… when I was clearly in Dubai.”r/dubai, March 2026 (96 upvotes). A single account, not an official source.
By our arithmetic AED 25 is AED 5 plus the AED 20 charge for crossing into another emirate, which fits a wrongly triggered charge. We found no RTA statement about GPS problems or about suspending that charge, so the cause is unconfirmed. The practical steps do not depend on the cause.
- When the meter starts, check the start fare against the table above. A street hail should read AED 5, or AED 5.5 after 10 pm.
- If it reads higher, say so before you move and ask the driver to restart the meter.
- Photograph the meter and keep the receipt or booking record.
- Complain through RTA afterwards, with the date, time, pickup and drop-off.
Premium cars and fixed prices
Another r/UAE thread asked whether a Lexus taxi was allowed to charge AED 129 for a trip between two Dubai malls. The replies disagreed on whether RTA operates those cars. The pages we read list no tariff for them, so ask whether the meter or a fixed price applies before you get in, and compare it with the ladder.
Where to complain
RTA’s feedback page lists a customer-relations portal, the ask@rta.ae email address, the Mahboub chat, and a way to track a case. An older Gulf News report gives 800 9090 as the line for taxi complaints and says callers get a reference number. One rider in the March 2026 thread said the RTA app connected them to an agent almost immediately, and that the details were forwarded for review.
Dubai taxi fare calculator questions
How much is a Dubai taxi per km?
Dubai Taxi Company lists AED 2.45 per kilometre. RTA’s own fare page gives starting fares but no per-kilometre rate.
What is the minimum taxi fare in Dubai?
AED 12 for street hail and AED 13 for e-hail, per Dubai Taxi Company.
How much does waiting time cost?
50 fils a minute.
How much extra is a trip to Sharjah?
Dubai Taxi Company lists AED 20 for crossing into Sharjah.
Is the calculator the same as the meter?
No. It is a planning estimate. The meter follows the route and the traffic.
Sources and what we could not confirm
Fares come from RTA’s taxi fare page and Dubai Taxi Company’s taxi page, both read on 14 October 2026 and set out in our guide. Neither page shows a date for its last change.
- The airport per-kilometre rate is unconfirmed.
- The Salik, DARB and Port Rashid fee amounts are unconfirmed.
- Whether the Sharjah charge is higher on some routes is unconfirmed.