From Sand to Super App: An Ultimate Secret of Careem Business Model

Updated 18 Jan 2024
Published 18 Jan 2024
Nancy Bhargava 1676 Views
careem business model

Some apps are synonyms for the word- Fantastic, and apps like Careem are one of them.

When it comes to make a list of top-super apps around the globe, especially in UAE, Careem is on the app. Its concept is like this – Go Anywhere, Eat Anytime, Get Anything, Pay Anyone.

In one app, you’ll find multiple options that make an app like Careem – The Everything App. What are your views on what made Careem create the storm in UAE?

Any Guesses?

Its answer is – the Careem Business Model, which makes it one of the highest-earning apps in the UAE. It started as a ride-hailing app, and now by the time it has become a super app.

If you also have a similar idea to develop a ride-hailing app like Careem, then it would be best to understand its business model.

Here, we have created an article to make you comfortable to understand Careem business model and reach your goal.

Fasten up your seatbelts, and your ride to learn more about Careem starts from here.

About Careem App

The whole story starts with the word Careem, which is Arabic and means – generous, compassionate, and kind.

It is a popular name in the Arabic World, so the founders- Mudassir Sheikha and Magnus Olsson- decided to use it for their app. The Careem app was launched in 2012, and in 2013, it got its third founder, Abdulla Elyas.

Source

Since its launch, Careem spread its wings in 10 countries with 2.5 million captains and 50 million customers.

Earlier, it was launched to touch customers’ pain points while travelling from one point to another and started for corporate taxi bookings.

Recently Careem App shares some statistics from 2022 and there were 505,856 burgers delivered to hungry clients and 24,000 rides to World Cup stadiums.

But now, it is a super app you can use for multiple purposes, from booking a ride to ordering a car rental or grocery items to pay for the pharmacy.

In 2019, UBER acquired it for $3.1 billion USD, making it one of the biggest unicorns in the Middle East.

Now Careem has a $400 million investment from Etisalat e&. As joint efforts, Uber and e& the Careem app are exploring new verticals to make the app superior to any other super app development in UAE.

Here are some glimpses of facts and stats about an app like Careem

  • Careem rides have covered more than 6 billion kilometers, which is equivalent to 40 trips to the sun.
  • Careem crossed 1 billion rides in the previous year, and the top regions are Pakistan (299 million), Saudi Arabia (242 million), and Egypt (230 million).
  • It owns the title of Middle East’s first super app.
  • Using AWS Machine Learning, Careem is continuously improving its fraud detection mechanism.
  • UAE’s ride-hailing market is projected to reach $242.20 million by 2028, and apps like Careem will play a key role.

A Dive into Careem Business Model

The Careem has taken the whole MENA region by storm, and its journey to becoming a super app is quite exciting.

It started with the ride-hailing business, but now it operates in multiple domains, including taxi booking.

Its business model covers all kinds of customers. The Careem business model is a great inspiration if you want to do your business on the same concept.

Regarding its business model, it is initially commission-based. It earns from the commission from each ride. So, here are the details

#1 Careem Business Model- Key Revenue Streams.

  • Commissions From Ride

On each ride booked through its platform, the Careem app charges a fixed commission, which is approximately 20% of the total fare paid by the customers.

  • Car Rental

One of the potential revenue streams of ride-hailing apps like Careem is- Car Rental. Without any deposit and paperwork, a customer can rent a desired car hassle-free on a weekly, monthly, or daily basis.

  • Surge Pricing

During some specific hours or if there is more demand for rides, Careem implements surge pricing. Via increasing the fare, it ensures ride availability and gives incentives to the drivers.

The dynamic pricing brings additional revenue for the Careem ride-hailing app and its drivers.

  • Careem Plus Subscription

Careem Plus is a subscription plan that comes with multiple advantages for the customers. The members can save more than AED 200 per month using Careem+ services.

At AED 19/month, a user can save on rides, food, groceries, home services, and more. It works superbly in two ways: customer onboarding and additional revenue generation.

  • Food Delivery & Other Services

It offers a dozen services that unlocked its revenue potential and made the Careem business model successful. Its key services are:

  1. Ride Hailing
  2. Food Delivery
  3. Micro Mobility
  4. Digital Wallet
  5. Delivery
  6. Home Services
  7. Tickets

Every service generates great revenue and established Careem as a super app. Careem’s estimated annual revenue is $1.1 billion per employee, which is $203,000. These services hold a major portion in contributing to Careem’s revenue growth.

  • Advertising & Partnership

Careem owns a large user base that is enough for in-app engagement to attract brands for their advertising on its platform.

It includes ads showcasing on the app and partnering with brands for in-app promotions. Here, Careem makes money via advertising & promotion fees.

  • Careem Pay

You will be surprised to know that Careem Pay’s fintech services were used by 286000 people the previous year with a $50 million top-up in Careem Wallets.

The above details are related to – how the Careem app makes money. In addition to the details related to Careem’s business models, you must also know its key modules.

#2. Careem Business Model- Key Modules

  • Customer App

Careem’s passenger app is user-friendly and offers super convenience to its users for ride booking. It is powered by GPS Ninjas that pick up the exact location of the customers and share it with the cab drivers.

It also offers the flexibility of choosing the ride’s time, i.e., Now or Later. Once the users choose drop-off, they get a confirmation code and their ride starts.

On the other hand, if they need to purchase something online, like food ordering home improvement, they can find multiple options using search filters. They can choose payment options like cash, credit, wallet, and more.

  • Driver/ Captain App

The driver or captain app is specially designed for cab drivers, and it makes their reach easy to the customer for pickup and work.

Using the captain’s app, they can make their profile, accept or reject the rides, manage their earnings, and communicate with their customers and others.

A driver needs to provide all essential details to register on the app. Before starting their career as Careem Captain, they need to finish the training with flying colors.

  • Merchant App

Using the merchant app, the business or product owners can start their business on Careem’s platform.

The app provides them with many useful features that help them grow the business, leveraging the advantages of the Careem business model.

They can create deals and promote their products on customers’ apps, track their earnings, manage inventory, and more, making their journey as an entrepreneur successful.

  • Admin Panel

The Admin Panel is the command center and fourth pillar of the Careem Business Model to support the overall activities. It allows the managers to take care of all operations.

They can review the activities related to the passenger, captain, and merchant apps, including other tasks. Everything is at managers ‘ fingertips, from vehicle tracking to surge pricing or creating a coupon code to automate e-receipts.

The key revenue stream and module make Careem’s business model complete. For your information, here are the features of these app modules. It will help you to develop an app like Careem for business.

Customer App Captain App Merchant App Admin Panel
  • Ride booking
  • Ride options
  • Cab tracking
  • Estimated fare
  • Payment options
  • Safety features
  • Rewards and offers
  • Trip history
  • Online ordering
  • Multilingual support
  • Registration/Login
  • Profile
  • Status
  • Viewing Customer Requests
  • Customer Information
  • In-app Navigation
  • Dashboard
  • Help & Support
  • Login
  • Dashboard
  • User Management
  • Driver Management
  • Add/Remove Tankers
  • Pricing
  • Payment Management
  • Order Management
  • Earning Management
  • Automated e-receipts
  • Push Notifications
  • System configuration and settings
  • Geolocation and mapping
  • User and driver management
  • Ride Management
  • Merchant management
  • Coupon code creation

How Much Does It Cost to Develop an App Like Careem?

Developing an app like Careem is the right decision in the current scenario, where downloading a single app can solve multiple challenges for a customer.

If you want to develop an app based on the Careem business model, then it is your right to know the cost of developing an app like Careem.

If you want to develop a Careem super app, then it may cost you around $40,000-$50,000, or you can get an exact estimate from a taxi booking app development company in Dubai by sharing your requirements with them.

But if you want to develop a ride-hailing app like Careem or Uber, then the cost may vary on its version, such as

  • Simple taxi app development cost- $15000-$20000
  • Medium complexity ride-hailing app development cost- $25000-$35000
  • Advanced taxi apps like Uber development cost – $35,000 onwards

Here, you need to understand that there are multiple factors behind the app development cost, and these are:

  • Project Size
  • Type of Features & Functionalities
  • Tech Stack
  • UI and UX Designs
  • App Testing
  • Cost to hire mobile app developers

All these factors contribute a lot to developing an app like Careem. The best idea for a fair cost estimation is to discuss your requirements with any of the top app development companies in UAE. The experts will help you end-to-end to make your idea a real app.

The Final Thoughts

Careem has created multiple milestones since its launch. It has disrupted the taxi booking or ride-hailing trends in more than ten countries, especially in the MENA region, and still, it is in full swing to create a bigger storm than the previous one.

After acquiring UBER, it became a giant company and launched a super app for multipurpose. Its business model is a great inspiration to start a business. With the help of top mobile app development companies in UAE, you can also start a business on a similar concept.

If you have a mobile app idea and want to know more about it, we would be happy to assist you as we have helped multiple clients as a leading mobile app development company. You can contact us any time.

Nancy Bhargava

Nancy Bhargava is a Digital Editor and Content Marketer at Arka Softwares. She’s passionate about tech trends, news, and innovations with a focus on modern solutions all over the globe. She strives to create well-versed digital content that educates, informs, and guides businesses for better decision-making.

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