ITHCA and Yango Acquire Otaxi to Revolutionise Omani Ride-Hailing Scene

Editorial Team

Last updated 17-04-2025

2 min

ITHCA Group and Yango have acquired the Omani ride-hailing app, Otaxi.

Otaxi, launched in 2018, modernised taxi services with an easy-to-use app.

Yango, part of Russia's Yandex, has a strong global ride-sharing presence.

The acquisition aims to extend Otaxi's market reach in a rapidly growing sector.

This move reflects increasing global investment in Gulf region start-ups.

So, here’s a bit of news that's making waves in the world of transport apps—looks like ITHCA Group and Yango have just bagged themselves a shiny new acquisition. The two firms have come together to acquire Otaxi, that Omani ride-hailing app that's been making getting from A to B that much simpler since 2018.

Founded by Harith Maqbali back then, Otaxi has steadily built a solid reputation, specialising mainly in good old-fashioned taxi services, but with a modern, app-based twist. You know the drill—press a button and there's your car!

Now, Yango isn't exactly the new kid on the block either. Operating in over 30 countries with their headquarters smack in the UAE, they've built an impressive track record, offering everything from ride-sharing to delivery services. Yango, if you didn't know already, is actually a subsidiary of the Russian giant Yandex—so they've got quite the heavyweight pedigree behind them.

Teaming up with Oman's ITHCA Group, known for backing some innovative ventures, it looks like they're keen to stir things up and expand Otaxi’s reach even further. It's not exactly surprising they're making moves like these—given how quickly this market grows, standing still could mean missing out entirely.

No word yet on exactly how this'll affect customers in Oman, but here's hoping it makes grabbing a cab smoother than ever—personally, anything's better than trying to hail one on the street in a heavy Muscat heatwave. While we're on the subject, I'm still haunted by memories of waiting far too long for rides in the baking sunshine, wishing an Otaxi would pull up a bit quicker.

By the way, folks over at Arageek have been chatting about the significance of this type of deal—there’s a buzz about regional start-ups really attracting global investment now, and it's a signal of pretty exciting times ahead for the Gulf business scene.

For now, we'll just have to wait and see exactly what changes arrive alongside this acqusition—oh, I mean acquisition (*oops*). One thing’s for certain though, the transport-app game in Oman just got a tad more interesting.

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