Cairo, November 24th, 2016 — Careem has announced a new collaboration with the “WATER TAXI” service today, offering a new “car-type” that allows clients to travel across main suburbs in Cairo via the River Nile. The new “car-type”, named “WATER TAXI”, is now the 5th transportation option alongside Careem’s Business, Economy, Engezny, and Taxi “car-types”. The first test-run for the service is currently available on Careem’s application platform.
“We are incredibly excited about the integration of the “WATER TAXI”, to our system. As the fastest growing startup in the MENA region, Careem is committed to supporting the local ecosystem in Egypt,” said Wael Fakharany, Managing Director of Careem Egypt and Careem’s Global Senior Vice President of Government Relations; “One of Careem’s missions over the last year has been to reduce congestion and traffic across the city. By offering trips via the Nile River, Careem is strategically utilizing a vast expanse of space across Cairo, linking the most populated areas of the city to one another. ”
Hany El-Messery, former Governor of Alexandria and co-founder of the WATER TAXI Company in Egypt, also said “that the demand for stress-free, fast transportation that bypasses daily congestion ensures that the Water Taxi’s collaboration with Careem is set become a successful and effective means of transportation. It will also offer an aesthetic alternative to being stuck in traffic—passengers can behold Cairo in all its glory from the Nile River away from noise and exhaust fumes, and our predictions is that it will be the number-1 favored means of transport.”
The new water service offered by Careem will function as a dispatching service through the Careem mobile application, and operates with a fixed fee of EGP 100. “The pricing is not only per ride, but also per boat — passengers order an entire boat for themselves when they select the “WATER TAXI” car-type through the application. They simply pin their pickup point, and select their destination port, and our “WATER TAXI” certified Captain will pick them up and take them to their destination, ” says Hadeer Shalaby, Careem’s General Manager.
Careem’s WATER TAXI is currently operational and launches to and from 5 ports along the banks of the Nile:
· Zamalek Water Taxi Port: In front of Mcdonalds Abo El Feda (Mashtal in front of Mcdonalds)
· Maadi Water Taxi Port: Cornich El Maadi in front of Mandarine Quoidar and next to TGI Fridays.
· Platform Water Taxi Port: In platform Maadi.
· Mohamed Ali Club Port: Cairo Aswan Road, Giza, Giza Governorate
· Nile Towers Port: Across the street from The North tower.
“The addition of water-travel to Careem’s application places the company ahead of the curve when it comes to localization. Every day, we try to sync with the Egyptian people, and serve their needs with new additions to our operations, ” says Shalaby.
The addition of water-travel to Careem’s navigation options comes in the wake of recently announcing the extension of their operations into Damanhour. Careem now officially operates in 5 cities across Egypt, and now also across Cairo’s River Nile, making it the fastest and easiest way to move around Cairo.
