LAHORE: Uber, the taxi hailing app, is all set to launch in Karachi soon.
“We are expanding and launching our app in Karachi in the next few days,” Uber Pakistan Head of Expansions Zohair Yousaf said while talking to The Express Tribune. The company is also planning to launch the service in Islamabad after the Karachi launch, Yousaf added.
In 2016, Pakistan witnessed the influx of two global taxi services with Uber and Careem entering the local market. Uber picked Lahore to launch its service when it entered Pakistan in March, 2016. Uber’s international launcher for the Middle East and Pakistan Loic Amado had earlier said that the company was committed to expanding within a year to cover at least three major Pakistani cities at the launch of the service in Lahore.
On the other hand, Careem has a presence across three major Pakistani cities of Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. The frequent app users said stiff competition could be expected between the two taxi services following Uber’s entry in Karachi. Which, they said, bode well for the market.
“We are expecting some great promotions from Uber in Karachi in the form of free rides or promo codes,” Karachi-resident Hina Aslam said. Although Careem is a quality service, competition will make things even better, she added.
In order to further consolidate their share in the market, both companies have introduced an economy option. The decision received much appreciation in Lahore where many people have been slowly parting from traditional auto rickshaw services and opting for Uber, Careem or Al-Bayrak, a Turkish cab service.
Pakistan’s e-commerce sector has been recently witnessing exceptional growth spurred by the advent of 3G and 4G services that have revamped the way global companies look at the country as a viable investment destination.
