Dubai: School Rides service by Careem, RTA sees rising demand

Image: Dubai Media Office

School Rides, the transportation service provided by the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai and Careem through the e-hail service via Careem application has witnessed great demand and popularity among customers since its launch at the beginning of April.

The service meant for pupils and students of educational institutions of all age groups has recorded a satisfaction rate of 4.84 out of a total of 5.

“The primary benefits and goals of the new school transportation service are to offer a new cost-effective alternative school transport for parents, ensuring high-quality service and shorter travel times for users,” said Adel Shakri, director of Planning and Business Development at the Public Transport Agency, RTA.

School Rides service highlights

The service has attracted 750 educational institutions in Dubai, engaged more than 1,150 parents, and completed 25,500 trips.

About 3,500 vehicles from various luxury vehicles companies are deployed to run this service.

This number represents 40 per cent of the total e-booking vehicles available on Careem App.

The cost of the trip is 34.5 per cent less than the cost of the regular limousine services offered by Careem.

This service is a complement to the conventional school transport system and includes features that also allow the selection of drivers with a clean safety record.

Drivers have to undergo specialised training to guarantee high professional standards in transporting children to and from school.

The average driver rating must be above 4.8, children under 10 years are not to be transported unless accompanied by an adult, and the option of an attendant in 2024.

Antonio Al Asmar, general manager of Careem in the GCC commented: “We launched the ‘School Rides’ car service in partnership with RTA and Luxury Vehicles companies earlier this year, to help alleviate some of the stress and save time and money.

“The service has proved to be extremely popular, and we are pleased to see so many parents renew their packages.”

Parents can book customised packages of 40 rides valid for three months, providing them with added flexibility around work schedules, holidays, and weekends.

Package fees for school rides are not subject to peak pricing and remain fixed regardless of demand.

The School Rides service offers a carpool option for their children with up to four other passengers going to the same destination if they are within the same pickup vicinity.

Parents can also select from several premium cars including Lexus, Toyota, and Infiniti to enhance their children’s comfort.

In other news, Careem revealed its new brand identity earlier in May as the Middle East region’s leading ‘everything app’ with over 12 services currently available in Dubai.