News

Startup Helps Visitors Explore Dubai Baggage-Free

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

Published

2 years 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

UAE’s Etihad Rail Launches In 2026 — What You Need To Know

A 1,200 km passenger network will transform public transport, with 11 connected cities, and high-speed trains cutting inter-emirate travel times.

Published

1 day ago

May 19, 2025

Nour Nasir

Etihad Rail

Etihad Rail has confirmed that its long-anticipated passenger train service will officially launch in 2026, ushering in a new era of high-speed, inter-emirate travel. The UAE’s national railway developer shared the announcement on X (formerly Twitter), as work continues on a 1,200 km passenger network set to connect 11 cities across all seven emirates.

The news marks a major leap in public transportation for the country, with passenger trains designed to reach speeds of up to 200 km/h. Travel times will be significantly reduced — Abu Dhabi to Dubai is expected to take just under an hour, while the journey to Fujairah will be cut to around 105 minutes. A separate high-speed line, capable of reaching 350 km/h, is also in the works to link Abu Dhabi and Dubai in just 30 minutes.

The backbone of the network was completed in 2023, when Etihad Rail launched its 900 km freight service linking key industrial and logistics hubs across the UAE, including ports in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Fujairah. Now, the focus has shifted to passenger infrastructure.

The first station will be located in Sakamkam, Fujairah city centre, and a second is confirmed near University City in Sharjah. Dubai’s main station is expected to be adjacent to Jumeirah Golf Estates Metro Station, while Abu Dhabi’s is anticipated along the corridor separating Mussafah Industrial Area and Mohammed Bin Zayed City.

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Once completed, the passenger network will link cities including Al Sila, Al Ruwais, Al Mirfa, Dubai, Sharjah, Al Dhaid, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. Integration with Oman is also part of the long-term vision. A new cross-border project — Hafeet Rail — will span 303 km between Sohar and Abu Dhabi’s Al Wathba area. Developed by Etihad Rail in collaboration with Oman Rail and Mubadala, the link is expected to deepen trade and tourism ties between the two countries.

Etihad Rail’s passenger trains will carry up to 400 passengers each and feature Wi-Fi, entertainment systems, charging points, and onboard food and beverage options to ensure a comfortable experience. To further simplify access, passengers will be able to pay with their nol cards, thanks to a partnership between Etihad Rail and Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The collaboration aims to integrate fare payments and booking systems under one unified platform.