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Private Taxis: Careem and Uber

166

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 May 2014 - 09:41

Anyone had any experience with Careem or Uber? DH might not be able to pick me and DS up from work this afternoon. Just would like to know if I book them, will they definitely come? Or will it be the same as regular RTA taxis and take my chance to see whether they turn up or not? Did you use your credit card to pay or can I pay cash? Many many thanks!

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175

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 04 April 2016 - 17:46

every time i go in an RTA taxi i'm on edge the whole journey. Cant count how many times I've had a driver that's falling asleep at the wheel while speeding in the fast lane I only use Careem now, i don't trust the RTA drivers at all. I've used Uber in South africa and it was really good, but have yet to try them in Dubai. I prefer the Careem app to the Uber one

4393

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 04 April 2016 - 17:45

I have never had a problem with Careem drivers. As someone said they don't answer their phones while driving and I have never been worried in one of their cars. One driver once apologised to me as he had to swerve to avoid another car on the road!!

518

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EW GURU

Latest post on 04 April 2016 - 17:12

only thing i want to know is if careem have safe drivers? I am scared of RTA taxis and only ever use them to catch a flight and that is one scary ride! always!

1010

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 04 April 2016 - 16:52

Irrespective of the post, Careem do actually treat their staff very well. The drivers, who often drive for other companies as well, would rather drive for Careem than other companies as for example, the term Captain is given to the drivers to empower them and make them feel proud of their jobs. They are given incentives relating to the feedback that customers give them and some drivers have also told me that once a month they are treated to a lunch or dinner out, and that during Ramadan every single night the company provides them with a nice meal. The treatment of their staff is reflected in the great customer service the drivers provide to their customers and it is refreshing to hear of companies in the service industry who are so forward thinking.. Thumbs up to Careem.. bye:

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EW MASTER

Latest post on 04 April 2016 - 15:43

How sad that they resort to dragging up 2 year old threads on women's forums to get a free ad :( We've been here over 6 years and have never had problems with RTA taxis and you can book them ahead for any time or day you want.. lol @ Captain.. When we first moved here four years ago we lived in JVT and had nothing but trouble with RTA taxis. I can't even begin to count the number of meetings I missed, including job interviews when the taxi's could not find us and often gave up trying !!! In all honesty Careem was a life saver for me then and I still use them now especially when I need to be somewhere at a particular time.

Doubting Thomas

2298

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 04 April 2016 - 15:38

How sad that they resort to dragging up 2 year old threads on women's forums to get a free ad :( We've been here over 6 years and have never had problems with RTA taxis and you can book them ahead for any time or day you want.. lol @ Captain..

4393

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 04 April 2016 - 15:34

Oooooops didn't see that

2264

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 04 April 2016 - 15:25

Careem offers customers the ability to book immediate car rides, or later rides for those moments when you need to guarantee a taxi ride to an appointment or to catch a flight! [url=Careem'>www.careem.com[/url'> is particularly useful when requesting a pick up upon arriving into either Abu Dhabi International Airport or Dubai International Airport. Careem Captains wait for you inside the arrival hall, helping you avoid having to wait in long lines when you arrive after a tiring trip. You can also book them to make airport transfers if you’re only transiting in either Emirate. Careem Captains are trained to provide the best service to clients. Careem has developed their own maps and navigation system so that customers don’t need to instruct Captains or give directions at any point; you can pay in cash for your ride or sign up with your credit card to simplify paying for rides. This is amazing - You also get 20% off if you sign up with MasterCard ! Also, I heard that they treat their drivers better. For instance, they call them "Captain" instead of "driver", everyone who works or drives for Careem gets a share in the company, and they Captains get a bigger cut from each ride they take than Uber drivers. Hmm commenting on a 2 year old thread, with something that is blatantly an advert? Not very stealthy now is it.

4393

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 04 April 2016 - 15:20

One issue with Careem if you use then as an airport pick up is they do not check on your flight details. All they go by is the time you reserve them for. The best way to get round this is to do an immediate pick up when you're actually in the airport. It may involve a short wait, but much better than being charged waiting time!!

1

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 04 April 2016 - 15:10

Careem offers customers the ability to book immediate car rides, or later rides for those moments when you need to guarantee a taxi ride to an appointment or to catch a flight! [url=Careem'>www.careem.com[/url'> is particularly useful when requesting a pick up upon arriving into either Abu Dhabi International Airport or Dubai International Airport. Careem Captains wait for you inside the arrival hall, helping you avoid having to wait in long lines when you arrive after a tiring trip. You can also book them to make airport transfers if you’re only transiting in either Emirate. Careem Captains are trained to provide the best service to clients. Careem has developed their own maps and navigation system so that customers don’t need to instruct Captains or give directions at any point; you can pay in cash for your ride or sign up with your credit card to simplify paying for rides. This is amazing - You also get 20% off if you sign up with MasterCard ! Also, I heard that they treat their drivers better. For instance, they call them "Captain" instead of "driver", everyone who works or drives for Careem gets a share in the company, and they Captains get a bigger cut from each ride they take than Uber drivers.

4000

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 08 May 2014 - 17:31

Has anyone used Hala Taxis, are they reliable or just a bad as the regular Dubai Taxis?, need to be sure of an early booking to the airport soon. From what I understand they go through the same dispatch centre as regular taxis so I guess it depends on if the breakdown in communication that creates taxi unreliability is from the dispatch centre or is driver error. Personally I would book Careem to be safe. Thanks RuthM and Geordieexpat, will book Careem, has a suspicion Hala would be no better!

4393

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 08 May 2014 - 17:23

My nerves couldn't stand an ordinary taxi booking to the airport at any time of day ;) Careem is worth every extra dirham they charge :)

1042

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 08 May 2014 - 17:20

Has anyone used Hala Taxis, are they reliable or just a bad as the regular Dubai Taxis?, need to be sure of an early booking to the airport soon. From what I understand they go through the same dispatch centre as regular taxis so I guess it depends on if the breakdown in communication that creates taxi unreliability is from the dispatch centre or is driver error. Personally I would book Careem to be safe.

4000

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 08 May 2014 - 17:06

Has anyone used Hala Taxis, are they reliable or just a bad as the regular Dubai Taxis?, need to be sure of an early booking to the airport soon.

4423

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 08 May 2014 - 15:48

Yes, Careem has the option to see the car from where he started make his way to you! Pretty cool

1042

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 08 May 2014 - 15:39

I used to use Careem exclusively but found that 'NOW' bookings could sometimes be difficult. So now I use both Careem and Uber. Generally Uber seem to be better for 'NOW' bookings, especially in busy areas and Careem is better for bookings in advance. The Uber app is a bit of a pain to get a location in a housing estate (I have emailed them countless times to ask them to allow you to put in an address) but it is easy to text the driver your address, which I do as soon as I have booked the car and he then seems able to find you. If we are going out we usually use Careem to get there by booking in advance and the drivers do always turn up early. Then we use Uber to get back which works really well. DH also uses Uber from the airport when he's not flying Emirates as advance bookings with Careem were working out quite expensive. So far he has been able to get an Uber car to arrive in the time it takes him to walk through customs and out the door. Does it mean I have to book them in advanced or else they might not arrive? The 'later' bookings work our more costly than the 'now' bookings and as DH might still be able to come get us, I can only book them 20 minutes before. Let's see how it goes today. My recommendation would be to install both apps and see who has cars available when the time comes. If Careem are going to take ages then try Uber. You can watch the car from Uber making it's way to you on the app on your phone with their GPS system I can't remember if Careem has this function but Careem is easier if you are entering a tricky address and seem to find places better (although I just text the address to Uber driver) If you want 40AED credit you can use the Uber referral code when signing up: https://uber.com/invite/cxpg3 There may be better ones offering 80AED off if you google online (I got 80 off when I joined) I assume you already have a Careem one as you've already signed up. I haven't noticed any difference once in the car with either service. edited by RuthM on 08/05/2014 edited to add: Uber Promo for 20% off this week (if travelling before 6pm) https://blog.uber.com/2014/05/03/20-off-all-rides-during-business-hours/ and the code for 80AED off was DubaiLaunch but not sure if it still works. <em>edited by RuthM on 08/05/2014</em>

2584

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 08 May 2014 - 15:20

A huge thumbs up for Careem from me. They are also in KSA and Qatar now too. :)

469

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 08 May 2014 - 13:10

I love Uber, I use them at least twice a week and find the pricing not much more than regular RTA. I've been using them for quite a few months now and still get excited watching the little image of the car on it's route to you, it shows on a map once you've confirmed the booking (simple things please simple minds :-) ). Never had to wait longer than 15 minutes and have never experienced bad service like it seems some others have. For advanced booking's I use Careem, who are good as well and have always turned up on time, they are a bit more expensive than Uber.

166

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 May 2014 - 13:04

I used to use Careem exclusively but found that 'NOW' bookings could sometimes be difficult. So now I use both Careem and Uber. Generally Uber seem to be better for 'NOW' bookings, especially in busy areas and Careem is better for bookings in advance. The Uber app is a bit of a pain to get a location in a housing estate (I have emailed them countless times to ask them to allow you to put in an address) but it is easy to text the driver your address, which I do as soon as I have booked the car and he then seems able to find you. If we are going out we usually use Careem to get there by booking in advance and the drivers do always turn up early. Then we use Uber to get back which works really well. DH also uses Uber from the airport when he's not flying Emirates as advance bookings with Careem were working out quite expensive. So far he has been able to get an Uber car to arrive in the time it takes him to walk through customs and out the door. Does it mean I have to book them in advanced or else they might not arrive? The 'later' bookings work our more costly than the 'now' bookings and as DH might still be able to come get us, I can only book them 20 minutes before. Let's see how it goes today.

1042

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 08 May 2014 - 12:58

I used to use Careem exclusively but found that 'NOW' bookings could sometimes be difficult. So now I use both Careem and Uber. Generally Uber seem to be better for 'NOW' bookings, especially in busy areas and Careem is better for bookings in advance. The Uber app is a bit of a pain to get a location in a housing estate (I have emailed them countless times to ask them to allow you to put in an address) but it is easy to text the driver your address, which I do as soon as I have booked the car and he then seems able to find you. If we are going out we usually use Careem to get there by booking in advance and the drivers do always turn up early. Then we use Uber to get back which works really well. DH also uses Uber from the airport when he's not flying Emirates as advance bookings with Careem were working out quite expensive. So far he has been able to get an Uber car to arrive in the time it takes him to walk through customs and out the door.

4423

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 08 May 2014 - 11:41

We have never had a successful Uber experience. And I have an Uber voucher from my glambox subscription... Gee - I wonder why!!

166

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 May 2014 - 11:35

We have never had a successful Uber experience. And I have an Uber voucher from my glambox subscription...

4423

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 08 May 2014 - 11:33

We have never had a successful Uber experience.

166

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 May 2014 - 11:31

Thank you all for the lovely replies. I have always booked the regular taxi and DS ends up on my lap (I'm never comfortable about this). Now that he's 1yo, he just kept moving about and if I hold him down, he cries. I might even ask DH not to pick us up today (if he can), so we can try Careem, haha!

263

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 May 2014 - 11:23

do Uber have car seats for toddlers does anyone know?

8

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 May 2014 - 11:15

I have used both as well, but still prefer Careem instead of Uber. Careem always turns early and very happy with their service so far. I had a bad experience with Uber, the driver called me to ask my location while actually they have a GPS.

166

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 May 2014 - 11:15

That would be wonderful. I wish I had known Careem before. DH had a meeting in Ajman before so I called a taxi for 5pm. 2 hours and countless phone calls later, still no taxi. I couldn't walk to the nearest stop as DS was only 7 months at the time. Taxi eventually came at 7:30. <em>edited by Forty_Winks on 08/05/2014</em>

681

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 08 May 2014 - 10:51

I have used both. Never had an issue with Careem. Uber I cannot recommend after a very bad NYE experience but this was the busiest night of the year, however their behaviour and service were awful. On a normal day i think they are fine, i would just rather see the business go to Careem. Long story short we were charged 6 times the normal rate which is just plain greed and spent 25 mins explaining our very easy location to a driver that has gps.

4423

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 08 May 2014 - 10:36

Yep if you book for a LATER Careem they always turn up early! You can only pay with a credit card You can't go wrong, reliable and clean and polite!

4393

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 08 May 2014 - 10:31

Thank you all for the response. I have registered with Careem and have downloaded the App but just would like to know if they would definitely turn up, even at 5pm and on a Thursday (as your regular RTA taxis wont!). I will put money on them being there at around quarter to five ;)

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