Uber services launched in Karachi

Karachi: Ride-sharing service Uber was launched in Karachi on Thursday with five free rides to users till August 28.

A statement on the Uber website made the announcement: “We are thrilled to announce UberGO is now available in Karachi, connecting Pakistan’s largest city to safe, reliable, and affordable rides.”

It explained the procedure for requesting the ride: “At the tap a button, Uber will connect you with the closest available partner driver in Karachi, ready to pick you up in minutes. You’ll see a photo of your driver, the license plate and type of car they are driving, and even follow their car on the app as they make their way to you. You can even use the ‘Share my ETA’ feature with family and friends so they know exactly your route.”

The statement also gave a happy surprise to the customers:

“To celebrate our newest city, you can enjoy Uber for FREE this weekend (From 12pm Thursday, August 25th until 11:59pm Sunday, August 28th ). Just open your Uber app and enter the promo code ‘KarachiFREE’ to enjoy 5 free rides up to Rs. 300 each.”

The minimum fare rate by Uber is Rs150 with a charge of Rs9.38 per kilometre and Rs2 per minute.

The service is also offering split the fare with friends by selecting ‘split fare’ when paying with the credit card.

And in a departure from its usual business model, Uber customers will be allowed to pay in cash, rather than credit cards, which are rarely used in Pakistan.

U.S.-based ride-hailing service Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] launched in Pakistan on March 3, venturing into a country where credit cards are rare and security is a concern.

Uber’s launch comes shortly after rival service Easy Taxi, backed by German firm Rocket Internet, pulled out of Pakistan amid a broad exit from Asia, where competition from local ride-hailing start-ups including Singapore-based Grab Taxi and China’s Didi Kuaidi is strong.

Uber’s Pakistan launch is part of a $250 million drive into central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, Shaden Abdellatif, Uber’s head of communications for the region, told the media.

It launched its low-cost uberGo service across Lahore at 13.7 Pakistani rupees (13 US cents) per kilometres.

Abdellatif said all Uber drivers would go through rigorous screening, as well as undergo mandatory training aimed at raising awareness about sexual harassment.

“We are also engaging the local law enforcement on ways we can develop the incident response process,” she added.

Uber, currently valued at over $50 billion, has expanded more quickly globally than any company in history and is operating in 300 cities in over 60 countries.