London black cabs to arrive in Bahrain 'within days'

A fleet of London black cab-style taxis will be operating in Bahrain within days following an initial delay, officials announced on Thursday.

The first batch of 50 vehicles are set to hit the roads by Monday at the latest, a few weeks after the service was originally supposed to start in mid December.

The fleet will be run through Arabian Taxi, established in a joint venture by the Economic Development Board (EDB) and the Bahrain Development Bank (BDB).

"The development of the transport and taxi service sector will play a major role in improving the lifestyle in Bahrain," said EDB chief executive Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa in comments published by the Gulf Daily News.

"This investment has created 700 high value added jobs for Bahrainis," he told the paper.

Arabian Taxi will operate custom-made, metered cabs, fitted with Global Positioning System technology and connected electronically to a control centre to ensure passengers are not overcharged.

Each taxi will operate 24-hours a day and be equipped with a 13inch LCD screen and have wheelchair access.

Passengers will be able to hail a cab on the street, order through a call centre or pick them up at stations around Bahrain. They will also be able to use a credit card to pay for the fare.

The entire fleet of 314 cars is expected to be on the roads by April, including 200 London-style cabs and 114 other models suitable for larger groups and families.