Business & Money | Wednesday 9 November, 2016 12:49 pm |

Careem, the region’s leading app based car booking service, has expanded its services across Doha with the launch of “GO”.

Careem’s most affordable option, the new service initially launched in KSA and Morocco before arriving in Qatar where GO prices start as low as 10 QAR per trip.

GO makes use of smaller car models, such as the Honda City, Nissan Sunny and Kia Cerato, and offers users the choice to pay by either cash or card.

“We’re really excited to launch our most affordable car type in Qatar. Our aim is to make people’s lives simpler and offer greater mobility for residents across Doha. GO allows us to provide an option that is equally convenient and reliable as the Careem service familiar to users, yet more affordable. This is especially suited to short rides across town,” said Ibrahim Manna, GM, Careem Qatar.

In Qatar, Careem has seen strong 30% month-on-month growth in the past year and has established itself as a leading transport service provider in Doha. Earlier this year, the homegrown startup signed an MOU with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) stating that the popular car-hailing app is allowed to facilitate transport services within Qatar by connecting Careem Captains to customers via the mobile app - making Careem the first car booking app licensed to operate within the State.

Committed to continuously rewarding and enhancing the lives of its Captains, Careem recently launched a ‘Captain Loyalty Program’ that allows Captains in Qatar who have been with the company for more than a month, the opportunity to win a return ticket home and reimbursements for personal expenses. Other Captain-centric initiatives include a competition in October offering cash prizes of up to QAR 40,000 in value and performance-based weekly incentives. In the near future, Careem will launch ‘The Captain Fund’, to encourage Captains to start saving towards bigger financial goals, such as children’s education, improving their families’ living standards and down payments for bigger purchases amongst others, in small groups.