The on-demand ride-hailing company, Careem has collaborated with Etisalat, UAE telecommunications operator in a bid to roll out free unlimited Wi-Fi to passengers in the MENA region (the Middle East and Africa) from mid-July. The portal interface for this service will be provided by Snapit Digital—a media tech company in the UAE.
Careem guarantees passengers that personal data of connected riders will be secured and not disclosed. The Wi-Fi can be accessed by riders through the Careem mobile app. After watching a brief commercial, riders can log-in with their registered phone number and one-time password.
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Adib Samara, head of business development at Careem, said the agreement is another vital step that they have taken to make Careem one of the safest and trusted online platforms in the region.
The free Wi-Fi for rider’s incentive has been a thing in the UAE, considering that Abu Dhabi-based taxi company, TransAD rolled out free Wi-Fi in collaboration with Etisalat in November 2016. Dubai’s fleet of taxis also offers the service powered by du—telecom provider. Even 500 Dubai Airport taxis as of December 2016 offered free Wi-Fi to customers.
This new incentive from Careem is just one out of many that they have rolled out in the past. The ride-hailing company launched a free in-ride insurance program that covers captains in the MENA region. They offered to pay up to $20,000 to cover all expenses that may relate to death or serious injury captains might incur in course of the ride.