Careem’s new Call Masking Feature enhances safety and privacy

Ride-hailing services have revolutionized the way people travel around cities in the broader Middle East; transportation was never as reliable or seamless. However, getting into a stranger’s car in a conservative region had to raise some concerns around safety. At Careem, providing a safe experience for people has always been a top priority. We were the first company to introduce multi-step background screens, car inspections, and share-your-ride-information. Our dedicated Safety and Security team is continuously looking for ways to enhance the safety of your ride. On popular request, especially from our female passengers, we are proud to announce the Call Masking Feature for anonymous calling between passengers and captains.

The Call Masking Feature adds a layer of privacy and security by allowing passengers and captains to keep their phone numbers hidden when contacting each other. Neither party gets the phone number of the other, preventing potential misuse of this very private information. You would not share your mobile number with a stranger, why let an app do that for you! The feature is already available in five markets - UAE, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Jordan and Turkey - and will be introduced in other markets soon. In less than two months of piloting this feature, we have seen over 10% of all passenger-captain communication happen through call masking.

While such innovation is essential, Careem’s commitment to safety starts with how we screen and select our captains. Captains go through a rigorous screening process that involves extensive background checks. In some markets such as Pakistan, captains undergo a stringent 7-step screening process which includes neighborhood inspection and imam (mosque leader) checks. Once onboarded, captains undergo comprehensive training covering all aspects of safety to ensure they are trained to look after their passenger’s well being.

Additionally, to protect passenger safety, we provide important information about the captain and the vehicle before every trip. Each trip is tracked in real time and can be shared with family and friends. Passengers or captains can also contact our 24x7 call centre for assistance in the event of trouble or emergency at any point during their journey. Throughout every ride, we take measures to geofence and avoid less-safe neighborhoods. After the ride, passengers can rate the ride to share feedback with us.

As a homegrown brand in a region where safety is not always a given, we are keenly aware of the challenges of our region, and are actively investing in ways to address them. As we enter the next phase of our growth journey, Call Masking and similar innovations that improve the safety of our passengers and captains remain the highest priority for us. We look forward to building a safer region, one feature at a time.