Transport-stricken Jordanians express delight over licensing of Careem

AMMAN — Jordanians on Saturday expressed delight over the announcement of ride-hailing service Careem being officially granted a full operational licence in the Kingdom. 

Having fulfilled all the requirements of the country’s new ride-hailing regulations, Careem is now offering its private car, economy car, yellow taxi and van-riding options in complete accordance with the Kingdom’s laws, making it the first ride-hailing app to do so.

In a press release sent to The Jordan Times by managing director for Careem’s Emerging Markets Ibrahim Manna, said: “As the first ride-hailing application to obtain the licence to operate in Jordan, Careem is ushering in a new era of mobility and opportunity for the Kingdom. Of course, this would not have been possible without the support of all involved government entities and regulatory authorities.”

Jordanian users of the app were quick to congratulate the company after the announcement on their official social media accounts.

“I am happy that good service is given its due recognition. I rode with Careem even when it wasn’t licensed, but the news makes me happy, because I like to see that they can now operate openly and without restraints,” Ramadan Ghazi, a frequent user of Careem who has struggled with taxis because of his place of residence in the crowded neighbourhood of Al Hussein, told The Jordan Times.

According to the statement, Careem was established in Dubai in 2012, and now operates in more than 120 cities across the Middle East. It provides services to more than 24 million users in cooperation with its 975,000 "captains", the name it gives to its drivers.

Although Careem took off quickly with high demand in the Kingdom when it first started, the licensing process took some two years to complete, starting back in 2016, as it hit several challenges and legal hurdles. 

Throughout the process, there were several protests by yellow-taxi drivers, a sector that suffered significant losses after ride-hailing services started operating in the Kingdom, who accused Careem of “stealing their customers” and “putting them out of business”. 

Abu Mahmoud, a 55 year old cab driver, told The Jordan Times that “business has been weak before Careem started, and now it’s even weaker. It is no longer a lucrative business”.

“The problem is that some drivers have given the yellow taxi a bad name. They are rude, they refuse destinations and they manipulate the metre. Careem wouldn’t have affected us as much if the regular taxis’ reputation was still respectable,” Azzam Halawani, a taxi driver who has been in the business for almost 20 years, chimed in.

In its official statement, Careem stated plans to expand its local presence, now that it can legally do so. 

Mohammad Al Horani, an Irbid resident, told The Jordan Times that he hopes the company will expand its presence in Irbid as well as Amman, as governorates suffer from "lack of reliable transportation, and that’s where it is most needed, because they are not as packed with options as Amman is”.

His friend Basem Rawabdeh added“, some places in the governorates are in isolation from the city, which makes taxi drivers turn orders down. Working a night shift, it’s very hard to find transportation to and from my house, that’s why I would be relieved if Careem was to offer their services there”.

Jordanian women perhaps had more reason to be pleased, as some expressed relief over not having to go through the “uncomfort” of sitting next to the Careem captain, a precaution requested by drivers to avoid being stopped by a police officer and fined for violation.

“Drivers would ask us to get in the front seat when they pull up in a place with traffic police officers because they would get their car and licence confiscated if they were spotted operating as Careem captains. That would make me feel a bit nervous,” Razan Dweiri, a frequent Careem rider, told The Jordan Times.

“I would ask the driver to let me out so I can ride in the back seat once I’m near my neighbourhood, because I don't want to be seen riding with a stranger in the front seat,” she added.