Car rental services have always been frustrating in Egypt and the Middle East as a whole. Either they were not common or accessible, or the service was less than convenient. Now you can get a car with a driver to pick you up from wherever you are with just a click on your phone. Careem car has launched a user-friendly app for their high-end rental service making your ride just a download away.

The application was launched in Dubai in 2012, and recently made its way to Cairo and Sahel, as well as 14 other cities within the MENA region, namely: Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Beirut, Casablanca, Dammam, Dhahran, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Karachi, Khobar, Kuwait, Lahore, Rabat, and Riyadh.

We decided to try the application at Identity and make a real life review! First off, we discovered how the application works. We had the option to order the car now, or schedule it for later, which was really convenient.

careem (6)

We then were able to pinpoint on the map where the car should pick us up!

careem (5)

We decided to be the worst customers ever to see how they would do under the pressure. We ordered the car for 5:30 pm, the infamous rush hour, and an hour before our order was due, we got a text message with the driver’s name, number, car brand, and numbers.

careem (1)

Later, the driver arrived before the due time, and we received another message confirming it.

careem (3)

Just to see what would happen if we were fashionably late, we decided to push the limits as much as possible. Around 5:50, the driver, called us and politely asked if we still wanted the ride. We said we’re waiting for someone else and would be late, and the driver said we could take our time. Around 6:10, we went to see him and he was right in front of our house. This alone is a plus, since other car rental services don’t wait for more than 15 minutes (We’re always fashionably late, we know!)

We took a car ride from Mohandeseen to Zamalek for Iftar, peak hour for them, and a rush hour in general. The driver was extremely nice, and very presentable. He was quiet and didn’t have unwanted conversations with us. We did, however, start a conversation with him, and he started talking with us and joking around to a point that we wanted to ask him to hang out with us for Iftar.

Midway, I decided to ask him to wait for me to buy something, and he was cool with it and told me to take my time. We then reached our destination, and it was time to pay.

This is usually the worst part of any service, but not with Careem. What makes Careem very special is that you can pay in cash – an option that’s not available with competitors. We did, however, want to pay with credit, but were dumb enough to not activate this option on the application. The driver simply walked us through the process. He then asked us if we wanted to schedule a pick up. Unfortunately we didn’t need it, although the ride there was so smooth we considered scheduling it anyway.

As for the rates, they are almost the same as normal taxis, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Great price for great quality.

Untitled

Over all, the experience was great. To top the good service, we learned that Careem is also involved with the NGO Educate-Me. Educate-Me is a registered Egyptian non-profit foundation (registration number 8418) that was founded in June 2010 and aspires to redefine education in Egypt. Careem give them a part of their proceeds to help them give out 200 school bags, which has tools students need for an entire school year.

Visit their Website for more information and to download the application: https://www.careem.com/