Careem has signed an agreement to partner-up with a local taxi company.
Careem, the Middle East ride-hailing app company, has recently resumed services in Muscat, Oman. The recommencement of operations was followed by signing a partnership agreement with a local taxi company. Dubai-headquartered transportation network company, operates in over 100 cities in 14 countries in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. The company was valued at around $1.2 billion as of 2017.
In 2017, Careem suspended its services in Oman shortly, as it was required by the government to firstly work with licensed taxis. Careem said in a statement it had partnered with Dubai based Marhaba Taxi to register Marhaba’s drivers to Careem’s ride-hailing app. Careem is planning to introduce all of its services in Oman by partnering with Marhaba Taxi, the only ride-hailing app to be in all six Gulf Arab states.
According to Careem, the trip booking through the app would charge the same fare as regular taxis. Moreover, it would handle the service components such as payments and customer service.
Careem Crosses 1 Million Drivers’ Mark
Lately, Careem stated to have 1 million drivers using its platform worldwide. The company claimed that it is generating between 60,000-70,000 jobs per month across the countries it operates. Additionally, those drivers have completed more than 300 million trips combined.
Careem is a Middle East rival of San Francisco-headquartered Uber Technologies. These two firms compete in many of the region’s major cities. Uber was last reported to have 3 million drivers, who completed 15 million trips each day across 65 countries.
Careem plans to invests in Food Delivery Business
As stated by Careem, it has planned to invest over $150 million to launch a food delivery business. It has acquired an online restaurant reservation and food delivery platform RoundMenu as a step for the same. The food delivery service, dubbed as CareemFood, will be launching firstly in Pakistan, followed by the U.A.E., Saudi Arabia, other Gulf countries, and Egypt.
Reportedly, ride-hailing apps have faced opposition in many markets around the world by making inroads into the traditional taxi industry. In March 2018, Careem resumed operations in the Palestinian city of Ramallah with Palestine’s transport ministry by agreeing all the government terms.
