Uber Shuts its Doors in Pakistan!

I still remember my childhood days when Yellow Taxis ruled the land and we had to agree to obnoxious amounts of fares to go from our A to B destinations. Then one day we got to hear about a new type of service that was automated, everything was decided beforehand, it was secure, and you had comfort, air conditioning, and a more overall better experience.

Careem opened its doors in the Pakistani market and triumphed. With an already pathetic transport system in place, it made commute bearable. Women travelers could share their rides, they felt more comfortable, and overall everyone had a better experience which led to many riots from the transport mafia. But to no avail.

Many such companies followed suit such as In Drive to name a few. After a few years, Uber also made its mark and within a few years acquired Careems business operations for $3.1 billion. The two companies had said they would continue to operate their respective regional services and independent brands.

In October 2022, Uber ceased operations in Karachi, Multan, Faisalabad, Peshawar, and Islamabad. It had decided to operate in the five cities through Careem and the Uber app in Lahore.

In an email sent to users in Lahore today, Uber said it had made the “difficult decision to no longer offer the Uber app services in Lahore as of April 30”.

However while talking to DawnNews , and Uber spokesperson said : Our subsidiary brand Careem will continue to operate, with the Careem app offering ride-hailing services across Pakistan and earning opportunities for drivers.