Taxi line service continues free of charge following end of promotional week

Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) has confirmed that its newly introduced Malé taxi service will continue to be offered free of charge, despite the conclusion of one week of operations initially set as the period during which the service would be free of charge.

MTCC’s taxi service hotline confirmed that the service remains free of charge.

“They [head office] has not informed us of the date for the commencement of fares and instructions have been given to continue providing the service free of charge until further notice,” an official who spoke from the hotline said.

Initially, MTCC had said service would be provided free of charge from April 3^rd to April 9^th.

When Sun sought information regarding the level of demand for the service following the initial promotional period, as well as the most widely used booking platforms, a public relations official from MTCC declined to provide comment and terminated the call. Subsequent attempts to obtain clarification from the Managing Director, Ahmed Saudi, were likewise unsuccessful.

During its inaugural week of operations, the service experienced exceptionally high demand, giving rise to public complaints regarding difficulties in accessing the hotline, 1655. Passengers reported prolonged waiting times in telephone queues—extending up to 20 minutes—as well as significant delays in vehicle arrivals.

In response to these concerns, MTCC stated that the elevated call volume was attributable to the promotional free-service period. The company further indicated that call centre personnel were operating on a 24-hour basis to effectively manage the surge in demand.

In parallel with the deployment of the physical fleet, MTCC introduced a web-based application for the service. However, the application was taken offline shortly after its launch, following reports on social media raising potential data privacy concerns associated with the registration process.

Amid these developments, North Galolhu MP Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudoo) from main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), submitted a motion to the Parliament. alleging corruption in connection with the development of the Malé taxi service application.

The fleet, comprising 150 vehicles, arrived in Malé in late March. It includes compact vehicles suited to the narrow streets of Malé, as well as larger vehicles designed to facilitate travel between Malé and Hulhumalé.