Uber closes operations across several cities in Pakistan, including Karachi

  

KARACHI: Popular ride-hailing service Uber Tuesday decided to cease its operations in Karachi, Multan, Faisalabad, Peshawar, and Islamabad with immediate effect.

In a statement, Uber said that it will continue to serve these five cities with its subsidiary brand Careem. The ride-hailing service, however, will continue to operate in Lahore.

“Riders and driver partners may use the Careem app in these five cities,” read the statement.

The ride-hailing company said that the Uber app will continue to be available in Lahore with new product launches to support earners during these difficult times.

“When we acquired Careem, it was always our belief that the two companies could come together to complement each other’s strengths and better serve the region through tailored experiences,” said a spokesperson of the company.

The spokesperson said that they knew this was a difficult time for the teams who have worked incredibly hard to build this business over the past few years.

Uber said that it greatly appreciates everyone’s contributions and its priority is to minimise the impact on their employees, drivers, riders, and hero partners who use the Uber app during this change in the cities.

In its statement, Careem said that it will continue to serve customers across 10 operational cities — including the cities where Uber has discontinued its service.

"We are investing in growing our operations and providing our customers with safer, more reliable, and affordable mobility solutions," the company said.

"Careem continues to serve customers in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Multan, Faisalabad and Peshawar, confidently, in addition to 5 other cities where we operate."