By: Amr Adel

Dubai – Mubasher: Careem is negotiating with UAE’s regulators to permit its nationals to work at the company, said Basil Al Nahlawi, vice-president of business development and government relations at Careem.

The Dubai-based ride hailing firm expected the number of its drivers, known as “captains”, in the UAE to increase to 9,000 in 2018, compared to 6,000 now, Al Nahlawi added, noting that the company has 5,000 captains in Dubai.

Careem operates in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al-Khaimah, and Al Ain, the top official said.

The UAE accounts for Careem's highest  revenues in the Middle East and is one of the four key countries in the region, in addition to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Moroco, Al Nahlawi continued.

Uber's archrival in the Middle East aims at hiring 100,000 Saudi female captains by 2018, in line with Saudi recent decision allowing women to drive, adding to 80,000 Saudi male captains, forecast to be doubled in 2018, Al Nahlawi revealed.

Careem serves 10 million users over 80 cities in the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey, and Pakistan. 

Translated by: Muhammad Khalid