The Unrelenting Careem Launches In Sudan
Dubai-based ride-hailing company, Careem, appears to be unrelenting in its drive to consolidate on its position on the African ride-sharing scene as it has formally launched operations in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital.
Following indications that can be culled from announcements that were made by the company earlier this year, the ride-hailing service’s app is now available on both Android and iOS in Sudan, and this is coming after weeks of testing in the capital city.
While the past few months can be thought to have been somewhat a tumultuous affair for the company, alongside fellow travel-tech players, Uber, Careem appears to have ridden the storm that came with the brief suspension of its operating license in Egypt back in March this year; a setback which, as covered by WeeTracker, came about after Egypt’s Administrative Court ruled in favor of 42 taxi drivers who had petitioned the court to revoke the operating licenses of the ride-hailing duo.
Although the ruling has since been toppled and the company has had its license restored by Egypt’s Court of Urgent Matters, it has not been entirely rosy for Careem since the court overturned the initial verdict and ruled in theirs’ and Uber’s favor, who were also affected by the initial lawsuit. The company had also had to deal with the wrong kind of press when it was reported that the company had been the subject of some extraordinary hacking which resulted in the leakage of tons of sensitive company data.
But in spite of these setbacks, Careem appears to be steamrolling ahead and trudging along with the latest expansion move to Sudan, which also means that Careem now has presence 14 countries in the region. Careem’s offering to its Sudanese customers is expected to be of the same order as what it offers in other markets where it has a presence. Customers in Sudan will be availed the option of booking on-demand and scheduled rides.
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Mudassir Sheikha, CEO also hinted at the idea of the move serving as an encouragement for investments into Sudan from regional startups, small businesses, and entrepreneurs.
In the same vein, Ibrahim Manna, the company’s Managing Director for Emerging Markets, enthused that the platform is poised to deliver a whole new standard when it comes to safety for ride-hailing in Sudan. He anchored this claim on the thorough vetting process that is employed in the recruitment of captains and the company’s attention to the safety of both clients and captains – which to him, serves up an indication of how much Careem invests towards making the ecosystem a desirable one for all the parties concerned.
Ibrahim also asserted that the comfort of customers is the priority of Careem as measures have been to put in place and provisions made for fully air-conditioned and comfortable cars, as well as an in-app experience that is user-friendly, and a customer care service that is available and responsive. Careem boasts a strict policy in the area of safety and security. In a bid to ensure quality and professional service with the best interest of clients at heart, it is believed that the company places a premium on screening and vetting captains.
Just last week, the company is reported to have a reached a milestone when it crossed into the one-million-threshold for the number of captains across its network. As an offshoot of the latest development, plans are believed to be currently in the pipeline to launch a call center that will cater to the needs of both clients and captains in Sudan next month.
