Finally, as part of the efforts to streamline public transport in Muscat, the Marhaba metered-taxi service will be soft launched on Tuesday. According to an official source, 46 taxis will hit the roads on Tuesday, and fares will start from RO 3.5 for the first 5 km and after that it will 500 baisas for each kilometre. Ingenuity Technologies has been working on the project in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism. The mobile app to avail the service is available on Google Playstore under the name Marhaba Taxi Oman. Ingenuity received the licence last year to operate taxis from hotels, Port Sultan Qaboos and on-demand service.
The source said that this it is only a soft opening and details will be announced shortly. He said all regulatory approvals are now in place and we have been waiting for the appropriate time. It may be noted that taxi drivers registered with Ingenuity had undergone a detailed training. Oman National Transport Company, Mwasalat, is the other company that has been granted the licence to manage taxis at Muscat International Airport. The company had unveiled its brand identity in February this year and is in the process of completing the formalities.