Careem and Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) expand their partnership to streamline travel for intercity commuters
Careem, the leading multi-service app in the region, announces the expansion of its strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) to facilitate a smooth and seamless transportation experience for railway passengers to and from its North and East lines.
As part of the agreement, Careem will expand its presence with new dedicated pick-up and drop-off areas located by the main entrances and exits at five additional train stations. Enhancing the travel experience for intercity commuters to and from train SAR stations around the Kingdom.
Ahmad Arrabi, Careem’s General Manager for ride-hailing in Saudi Arabia, said: “We are delighted to continue our collaboration with Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) as we expand our services to additional railway stations across the Kingdom. This comes as part of our ongoing commitment to provide solutions that enhance everyday commutes, and through these designated Careem pick-up and drop-off areas, customers will enjoy a more convenient experience when booking a Careem ride to and from any of the stations.”
Engineer Khaled Al Harbi, Senior Vice President (Passenger) at Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) stressed SAR’s commitment to providing exceptional services to commuters throughout the Kingdom via its various rail networks, starting with providing all possible comforts to passengers on SAR trains, such as Private Sleeper Cabin for travelers on SAR’s Night Train service on its Northern network, as well as various amenities tailored to suit the needs of customers both on board SAR trains or within the stations themselves.
Al Harbi added: “Establishing impactful partnerships with various entities to facilitate commuters’ journeys, whether within SAR stations and trains or while passengers are moving to and from the stations, is part of our strategy to provide a distinguished, comfortable, and reliable travel experience.
Phase 1 of the partnership with SAR was signed in September 2021 to provide passengers with convenient and reliable access to Careem rides at SAR’s North Train stations in Riyadh and Qassim, as well as its Eastern Train stations in Riyadh, Dammam, and Hofuf. The recently launched Phase 2 extends this presence to include Al-Majmaah, Hail, Jauf, and Qurayyat on the North line and Abqaiq on the East line.
During the first half of 2023, SAR transported over 4.4 million commuters across its railway lines on its various networks throughout the Kingdom, which is an 84% increase compared to the first half of the previous year, 2022. This growth underscores domestic travelers’ inclination towards using railway transportation between cities in the Kingdom, which is one of the key reasons behind Careem’s decision to expand this partnership and include all of SAR’s stations, emphasizing the importance of enhancing transportation routes for commuters for their journeys to and from train stations.
Careem launched its ride-hailing services in Saudi Arabia in 2013, commencing operations in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Dhahran, and Khobar before expanding to reach 26 cities across the Kingdom. The Everything App now enables over 10 million customers across the Kingdom to hail a ride to move in and around their cities, use a Careem bike, and order their everyday favorite meals. Today, more than 70,000 Saudi nationals use the Careem app and benefit from the flexible economic opportunities the technology brings them on a monthly basis.
