Careem to end operations in Qatar

Uber’s Middle Eastern business, Careem, will stop operations in Qatar starting from Tuesday, the company said in a message sent to customers in the Arab country on Monday.

“Unfortunately, Careem’s ride hailing operations will no longer operate in Qatar as of February 28, 2023”, according to the message.

The message also included that the company would be issuing a full refund to customers holding Careem credit by March 15, without any explain why this decision was taken.

The surprise announcement comes after Qatar hosted the World Cup two months ago, in which Careem vehicles were part of the event’s official plans to transport fans, along with cars from Uber and Karwa, a local taxi provider.

Careem only offered ride-hailing services in Qatar, while in other Middle Eastern markets like the United Arab Emirates, the company offered more services like food delivery, digital payments and courier services.

Careem was established in July 2012 and became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Uber Technologies, Inc. in January 2020 for $3.1 billion.