E-hailing, which is a relatively new term, is defined as the process of ordering a car, taxi, limousine, or any other form of transportation pickup via one's own mobile, tablet or computer. The features of the service varies from one application/service provider to another but in basic terms, e-hailing involves the use of an application installed on the user's device of choice, whereby the user books a trip or ‘hails a ride' electronically by providing their desired pickup and drop location, either by entering an address or providing a current GPS location. There is no cash exchange involved in the process as the user's credit card is linked to their e-hail account and the payment is processed electronically against a receipt sent to the user's registered email address.  

Despite being in popular demand in most jurisdictions, application-based taxi services have been the subject of much controversy since their introduction to Dubai's transport sector.