Ride-hailing app Careem launches service for people with disabilities
To play a role in providing people of determination with more freedom to get out and about to see their friends ... is a true privilege BASSEL AL NAHLAOUI Gulf managing director, Careem
Careem has introduced a service, Assist, for Abu Dhabi’s disabled community.
The service was launched with Inclusion Services, a Swedish company that provides transport for people with physical disabilities.
The new vehicles will all be able to take wheelchairs, and have hydraulic lifts and ramps.
Drivers are “carefully selected” for their temperament and empathy, and receive extra training.
But the service is not cheap. Prices are fixed at Dh350 for a one-hour trip. Careem is offering a 50 per cent discount on the first trip, and an option to buy a package for Dh1,000 for five rides.
“Ride-hailing apps are born from the notion that technology can play a role in simplifying and improving people’s lives,” said Bassel Al Nahlaoui, Gulf managing director of Careem.
“Connecting someone with a ride nearby to get them to a destination when they want, hassle-free, is something that everyone should have access to in today’s world.” It is unclear when the cars will be rolled out in Dubai, but Mr Al Nahlaoui said it would happen soon.
“To play a role in providing people of determination with more freedom to get out and about to see their friends, go for lunch, head to the mall – all the things we take for granted – is a true privilege and something we hope to extend to every city we operate in,” he said.
Ingemar Fredricsson, chief executive of Inclusion Services, said it was “not only a unique opportunity to help serve the Abu Dhabi community, but also represents a much wider mission for us”.
“We hope to be able to use this model of working with a ride hailing app to take our services across the wider Middle East and serve every city Careem operates in.”