News

Startup Helps Visitors Explore Dubai Baggage-Free

The “Uber for luggage” service starts at Dh99 and offers collection, storage, and delivery.

Published

1 year ago

November 19, 2023

baggage taxi helps visitors explore dubai baggage-free

Dubai is a premiere location for millions of leisure and business visitors each year. Many travelers land during the early hours of the morning and have plenty of time to kill before they can check into their hotels.

Unfortunately, exploiting a city without accommodation means lugging bags between restaurants, tourist hotspots, and onto public transport. Luckily, Dubai resident Tristan Sommer-Enriquez has developed a solution — an on-demand, AI-powered baggage-hailing platform that is essentially the “Uber for luggage”.

Talking about his startup Baggage Taxi, Sommer-Enriquez explained: “As a business traveler, whenever I was in big metropolitan cities, I was stuck with my luggage everywhere I went. If I had meetings and left the hotel early, while my flight was in the evening, I had to return to the hotel or lug my baggage around. That was my life as a frequent traveler for the last 15-20 years”.

Baggage Taxi is a simple yet clever concept: Imagine a vacationing family plans to visit a mall before heading to the airport for their evening outbound flight. Baggage Taxi will whisk away their luggage from a convenient pickup point — such as their hotel — store and deliver it to the airport ready for check-in.

Also Read: How (And Why) To Start A Tech Business In Dubai

Although many tourists use locker services to solve this type of problem, Baggage Taxi is far more convenient, as travelers don’t need to catch a taxi back and forth into the city to collect their bags.

“Our customers typically arrive in the morning and check in at (hotels) at 3pm. So, we pick up their bags at the airport while they head to their meetings. The service is often chosen by departing customers with evening flights and no business meetings, so they don’t want to carry their luggage around while exploring or shopping. We pick up their baggage in the morning and deliver it to any airport or hotel in the UAE,” Sommer-Enriquez said.

Baggage Taxi costs Dh99 for the first piece of luggage and an additional Dh35 for each extra item. The company currently offers its service through its website and will release an app in early December 2023.

News

“AI Seal” Certification Now Required For Dubai Gov Partnerships

The new mandatory certification is designed to build trust in AI companies and create a reliable network of providers for government and public collaboration.

Published

16 hours ago

January 21, 2025

Nour Nasir

ai seal certification now required for dubai gov partnerships

Dubai Media Office

Dubai has introduced the Dubai AI Seal, a certification designed to establish trust in artificial intelligence (AI) companies and solutions. This initiative, directed by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister, aims to create a reliable network of AI providers which government entities and businesses can collaborate confidently.

Companies must now obtain the AI Seal to qualify for UAE or Dubai government contracts. The Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DCAI), which developed the certification, sees it as a competitive edge for companies looking to participate in key national projects. Once certified, businesses will be permitted to showcase the seal across their websites and marketing materials, signaling their credibility and dependability.

The evaluation process will consider six main criteria: the company’s services and operations, the number of employees specializing in AI, ongoing and future projects, as well as existing partnerships with public and private sector entities.

dubai ai seal certification

Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation, which oversees the DCAI, commented on the initiative’s potential: “This initiative will help create powerful partnerships between the public and private sectors, locally, regionally, and globally. It will help drive new economic opportunities by leveraging AI to serve better the economy, society, and the future we aspire to”.

Also Read: Top Free AI Chatbots Available In The Middle East

The Dubai AI Seal’s goals include providing a clear framework for verifying AI providers, fostering business opportunities for AI companies, and acknowledging the industry’s strategic importance to Dubai’s economy. The initiative emphasizes AI’s role in driving economic growth, creating jobs, and strengthening collaboration between government bodies and technology firms.

All technology companies operating in Dubai and offering AI-related services or products are eligible to apply for the certification at no cost through the official website.