You booked a taxi through Careem, called the RTA booking line, or asked your hotel desk to arrange one — and now you want to know how to check a taxi booking before you head downstairs. Maybe the app crashed, the confirmation SMS never arrived, or you simply want peace of mind that a car is actually on its way.
The good news is that every major taxi booking channel in the UAE gives you a way to confirm or track your ride. The method depends on how you booked: app bookings are checked inside the app, phone bookings are confirmed with a booking reference, and taxis arranged by a hotel or airport desk are usually checked with the staff who booked them. This guide walks you through each one.
Quick Answer
If you booked through an app such as Careem, Uber, or Hala, open the app and look for the active trip card on the home screen — it shows the driver’s name, photo, car details, live location, and estimated arrival time. If you booked by phone in Dubai, call the RTA on 800 9090 and quote your booking reference; in Abu Dhabi, call TransAD on 600 535 353. For a taxi arranged by a hotel or concierge, the fastest check is simply asking the desk that placed the booking.
How to Check a Taxi Booking in the App
App bookings are the easiest to check, because the app keeps everything in one place — the driver, the car, the live map, and the trip history. If you’re new to app-based taxi booking, our guide to how to book a taxi covers the setup basics. Here’s how to find your current booking in the main apps used across the UAE.
Careem
Careem is the most widely used taxi app in the UAE and handles both official RTA taxis (through the Hala service in Dubai) and private cars. To check a booking:
- Open the Careem app — if a trip is active, a card appears at the bottom of the home screen showing the driver’s name and car.
- Tap the card to expand it. You’ll see the driver’s photo, car make and colour, plate number, and the car’s live location on the map.
- The estimated time of arrival (ETA) is shown under the map. This updates in real time as the driver moves.
- If you don’t see an active trip card, tap your profile or “Activities” to view past and upcoming trips — scheduled rides appear here too.
If the app shows your trip as “finding captain” (Careem’s term for driver), it means no driver has accepted yet. Give it a few minutes, especially during rush hour, before assuming something is wrong.
Uber
Uber works the same way: an active trip appears as a banner or full-screen card showing the driver’s details and a live map. Swipe up on the trip panel to see the route, the fare estimate, and options to contact the driver or share your trip with someone you trust.
Abu Dhabi Taxi app and Yango
In Abu Dhabi, the official Abu Dhabi Taxi app and Yango both show active bookings on their home screens with live driver tracking. The steps are the same: open the app, tap the trip card, and check the driver details and ETA.
One useful habit: before the car arrives, note down the plate number shown in the app. When a vehicle pulls up, compare it with what the app says — it’s the quickest way to make sure you’re getting into the right car. You can read more about this in our taxi safety tips for passengers guide.
Checking a Phone Booking with the RTA or TransAD
Phone bookings don’t live in an app, so you need your booking reference — the number the operator gives you (usually by SMS) when the booking is made. If you still have that SMS, you’re in good shape.
Dubai — RTA booking line
In Dubai, taxis booked through the RTA call centre are managed by the RTA’s booking system. Call 800 9090, choose the taxi booking option, and give the agent your booking reference along with the phone number you booked from. They can tell you whether the booking is confirmed, whether a driver has been assigned, and the expected pickup time. You can also find taxi service information on the RTA’s official taxi page.
Abu Dhabi — TransAD
In Abu Dhabi, taxis are regulated by the Integrated Transport Centre (formerly TransAD). If you booked by phone, call 600 535 353, quote your booking reference, and the agent will confirm the booking status and driver assignment.
Tip: if you didn’t receive a reference number by SMS, ask for one at the time of booking — it makes any later check (or complaint) far easier. Without it, the agent will usually still help using your phone number and pickup address, but it takes longer.
What Your Booking Status Actually Means
Whether you check in an app or with a call centre, you’ll run into the same handful of status labels. Here’s what they mean and what you should do at each stage:
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Confirmed / Booked | The booking is in the system, but no driver has been assigned yet. | Nothing — just check again closer to pickup time. |
| Finding driver / Searching | The system is looking for an available driver. | Wait a few minutes. If it drags on, consider cancelling and rebooking. |
| Driver assigned / On the way | A driver has accepted and is heading to your pickup point. | Watch the live map and head down a couple of minutes early. |
| Arrived / Arriving | The driver is at (or very near) your pickup location. | Go meet the car and confirm the plate number. |
| In progress | You’re in the car and the trip is underway. | Sit back — you can still track the route in the app. |
| Completed | The trip has finished and the fare is calculated. | Check the receipt in the app if you need one for expenses. |
| Cancelled | The booking was cancelled by you or the driver. | Check whether a cancellation fee applies, then rebook if needed. |
If a trip shows “completed” but you never took it, contact the app’s support right away — you may have been charged, and a prompt report makes a refund much more likely.
Checking a Hotel, Airport, or Company-Arranged Taxi
Not every taxi is booked by you directly. Hotels, airport desks, and company transport coordinators arrange taxis for guests and staff all the time. These bookings usually don’t appear in your personal apps, so the check works differently:
- Hotel-arranged taxis: ask the concierge or front desk — they keep a log of the booking and can confirm the driver and ETA. Hotels in the UAE typically arrange these through a call centre and receive a confirmation themselves.
- Airport prepaid or desk bookings: keep the receipt or voucher you were given; it usually carries a reference number or a desk contact number.
- Company-arranged cars: check with your office admin or transport coordinator, who will have the booking confirmation.
Whenever someone else books for you, ask them to forward the booking reference or confirmation SMS to your phone. It saves a lot of back-and-forth later if anything goes wrong.
If You Can’t Find Your Booking
Sometimes a booking seems to vanish — the app shows nothing, or the call centre can’t find it. Work through these checks before panicking:
- Wrong account or number: if you booked in an app, make sure you’re signed in with the same account (and phone number) you used to book. Bookings are tied to the account, not the phone.
- Scheduled too far ahead: some apps only show a scheduled ride within a certain window before pickup. Check the “upcoming” or “scheduled” section rather than the home screen.
- App glitch: force-close and reopen the app, or check for updates. A stale app screen is a common cause of “missing” bookings.
- Payment issue: if your saved card failed, some apps quietly cancel the booking. Check your payment methods and trip history.
- Booking never went through: if you lost signal mid-booking, it may never have been placed. When in doubt, rebook rather than wait for a car that isn’t coming.
If the booking went missing because of a driver no-show or an app error, our guide to common taxi booking problems covers fixes for the most frequent situations.
Keep Your Booking Details for the Receipt
Checking your booking is also the moment to make sure you’ll be able to get a receipt later. In the app, trip details and fare breakdowns stay available in your trip history — handy for expense claims. For phone bookings, the booking reference plus the driver’s receipt at the end of the trip is all you need. Our guide on how to get a taxi receipt explains the options in detail.
One thing worth knowing: toll charges such as Salik in Dubai are added to metered taxi fares automatically. If the final fare looks higher than expected, check the receipt’s breakdown before assuming a mistake — and if you believe you were genuinely overcharged, the UAE’s consumer protection laws give you the right to dispute it.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I check a taxi booking without the app?
Yes. If you booked by phone, call the booking line you used — the RTA on 800 9090 in Dubai or TransAD on 600 535 353 in Abu Dhabi — and quote your booking reference. If a hotel booked for you, ask the desk directly.
How do I know the taxi that arrives is really mine?
Match the plate number, car colour, and driver name with what the app or booking confirmation shows. Official UAE taxis are metered and clearly marked, and app drivers should match the photo in the app. Never get into a car whose details don’t match.
The app shows my booking but no driver is assigned. What should I do?
Wait a few minutes — during peak hours, driver matching takes longer. If nothing changes after 10–15 minutes, cancel and rebook, or try a different service. You can cancel a taxi booking in the app before a driver is assigned without any fee.
Can someone else check my booking for me?
Only if they have your booking reference (for phone bookings) or access to your app account. Be cautious about sharing your account login — it’s safer to forward the booking reference or share the trip through the app’s own share feature.
How early should I check my booking before pickup?
For on-demand rides, check as soon as you book and again a few minutes before heading out. For scheduled rides, check 15–20 minutes before the pickup time to allow for driver matching delays.
Do I need my booking reference at the airport taxi rank?
Usually not — airport taxi ranks operate on a first-come, first-served queue. The reference matters for prepaid, hotel-arranged, or call-centre bookings, so keep it on your phone just in case.
The Bottom Line
Knowing how to check a taxi booking takes less than a minute and saves a lot of uncertainty: app bookings are checked on the home screen trip card, phone bookings are confirmed with your reference number through the RTA (800 9090) or TransAD (600 535 353), and hotel-arranged taxis are checked with the desk that booked them. Keep your booking reference until the trip is done — it’s your proof of the booking and the key to getting a receipt or resolving any dispute.
Last Updated: 8 October 2026
About the author: Zaviyar Sultan is a UAE-focused writer at Paxi, covering driving, visas, banking, insurance and everyday UAE life. His guides are researched from official UAE government and regulator sources and updated regularly.
Paxi is an independent informational website, not affiliated with the UAE government or any agency mentioned; content is general information only, not legal, immigration or financial advice; verify critical details with official sources before acting.