Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — There are abundant job opportunities for young Saudis in ride-hailing companies where the monthly salaries range from SR6,000 to SR12,000, according to chamber of commerce officials.

The work period does not exceed 8 hours a day, five days a week. Customers are largely female.

The Committee for Road Transportation at the Saudi Council of Chambers said the number of Saudis who have joined these companies in Jeddah crossed 40,000, according to a report in Al-Madina newspaper.

Official data indicate that there are about 16 licensed companies in the sector all over the Kingdom.

Currently there are 200,000 opportunities available, but only 110,000 Saudis have registered so far, according to the Ministry of Labor figures.

The head of the Road Transportation Committee at the Council of Saudi Chambers, Saeed Al-Bassami, said the ride-hailing service would continue to expand. "It is apparent that the ride-hailing service is going to prevail here at the expense of traditional taxis," he said.

Ibrahim Al-Fahl, general manager for Makkah, Madinah and emerging markets at Careem, confirmed that the market was growing. "We have registered a growth rate of 30 percent per month, not to mention the overall growth in the sector, which confirms the growing market need," he said.

"Although we have more than 70,000 Saudi captains, our market share does not exceed 1 percent of the transportation market, both public and private, which proves that the market can accommodate a larger number of licensed companies," he added.

"The demand for this type of service used to be greater among women than men, but the proportion of men using the service has now increased to 40 percent of total customers," Al-Fahl said, adding that the sector has become a target for job seekers and has boosted the income of Saudis.

"Some people make between SR6,000 and SR12,000 a month working 8 hours a day, 5 days a week," he said.

As for pricing, he said most companies, especially Careem, try as much as possible to provide pricing categories that guarantee the customer a reasonable price for excellent service.

"Careem has different categories ensuring a broader and more comprehensive options for the customer," he added.

Al-Fahl stressed security of customer is given the utmost importance when accepting candidates to work in the service. "This is to ensure the safety of clients and at the same time to meet the passenger's expectations," he said.

He pointed out that candidates who meet the requirements are given a one-day intensive training before hiring. The company also make sure that the candidates have a clean security record. Selected candidates remain under constant evaluation by the clients as well as the company's quality control team.