International car booking service Careem enters Pakistani market

There exists a marketplace for ride sharing and ride rental services in Pakistan, but it also remains a fact that the citizens are not very open to this idea yet. Security and trust remain the number one concern for such services but with new intl. players entering the market, this problem can soon be resolved with constant marketing on different mediums, also the consumers can be pushed a little bit to try these services.

We cannot deny that the recent incidents and security issues in Pakistan has made it difficult for other services to gain customer’s trust in a new marketplace. However, this has not stopped local entrepreneurs and international companies to explore new opportunities in Pakistan. Careem is one such company!

Careem is a private car booking service offering reliable, convenient and secure transportation to citizens across Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Beirut, Cairo, Casablanca, Dammam, Dhahran, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Khobar, Kuwait, Rabat, Riyadh and now in Pakistan. The company will arrange an official launch event at Lahore on May, 6th 2015. TechJuice reached out to Faryal Sajjad, the Marketing Manager for Careem Pakistan, in order to get details about the launch of Careem and its services in Pakistan.

Careem offers a wide range of interesting services to customers globally. You can order & book a car in less than 15 seconds through the website or mobile app and then, track the car in real-time as well. Moreover, Careem for Business offers hassle free rides for all your employees and an airport ride service is also available.

Faryal told TechJuice that Pakistanis will enjoy the same set of services as their other customers around the world. Faryal, while answering the security concerns, said that the organization runs a complete background check along with an extensive procedure in place for hiring the drivers. Additionally, all the cars available for booking are well-maintained and belong to models ranging from 2011 -2014, so you don’t have to worry about any car malfunction during travel. She added that Careem is a very popular service in Saudia-Arabia, a country with a conservative environment and strict laws, but there has never been any negative incident. “Our company does have an international assurance and customers do not need to worry about their safety.”

There are already a few players offering ride services in Pakistan namely Savaree, Tripda and Metro Cabs. Careem, although international, might face a lot of competition. Faryal said they are not worried about getting any indirect competition, but their main competitor can be Savaree as they have also launched their own cab service.

Careem plans to launch their service in Lahore and Karachi initially, but they will expand in other major cities of Pakistan too. As far as the rates are concerned, Faryal commented that the ride charges are decided keeping in mind the facilities and services we will be providing to our customers. The Lahore launch event will have free rides for attendees so that they can experience the quality of the service first-hand. You can use this promo code CAREEMLHR to enjoy the free ride.

How open are you to the idea of ride-sharing and ride-renting services? Are you planning to try out Careem? Share your opinions in the comment section below.