DUBAI: Careem has resumed services in Muscat, Oman after signing an agreement to partner with a local taxi company, the Middle East ride-hailing app company said on Monday.
Dubai-headquartered Careem suspended services in Oman in 2017 shortly after launching when the government asked it to first work with licensed taxis.
Careem said in a statement it had partnered with Marhaba Taxi to register Marhaba’s drivers to Careem’s ride-hailing app.
Trips booked through the app would be charged the same fare as regular taxis, Careem said, adding that it would handle the components of the service such as payments and customer service.
Ride-hailing apps have faced opposition in many markets around the world by making inroads into the traditional taxi industry.
Careem resumed services in the Palestinian city of Ramallah in March after pricing its fares in line with metered taxis and first working with licensed taxi drivers as part of an agreement with Palestine’s transport ministry.
Careem said that it plans to introduce all of its services in Oman, expand to all major Omani cities and that following the agreement with Marhaba Taxi it was the only ride-hailing app to be in all six Gulf Arab states.
Careem is a Middle East rival of San Francisco-headquartered Uber Technologies with the two firms competing in many of the region’s major cities.
Mideast ride-hailing app Careem resumes Oman services
Mideast ride-hailing app Careem resumes Oman services
- Dubai-headquartered Careem suspended services in Oman in 2017
- Ride-hailing apps have faced opposition in many markets around the world by making inroads into the traditional taxi industry
Dubai inflation eases to 2.7% in November
RIYADH: Dubai’s annual inflation rate slowed to 2.7 percent in November, down from 3.4 percent in the previous month, according to official data released by Dubai Statistical Center.
The main cause of the slowdown was a decline in transport prices, which decreased by 1.9 percent month on month.
On an annual basis, transport prices witnessed a moderate rise of 0.2 percent in November compared to a 4.2 percent increase the previous month.
The steady inflation rate aligns with the wider trend observed in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, where countries are successfully navigating price shocks by adopting effective economic policies.
In November, Saudi Arabia witnessed an inflation rate of 1.9 percent, down from 2.2 percent observed in October.
Commenting on Dubai’s inflation figure, Emirates NBD, a government-owned bank, commented: “The primary driver of the cooldown in inflation in November was the transport component, which accounts for around 9 percent of the CPI ( consumer price index) basket and has long been the primary driver of monthly inflation volatility in Dubai.”
According to DSC, the housing and utilities sector, which accounts for 40.68 percent of the Emirates’ CPI basket, witnessed a 5.3 percent year-on-year rise in November.
The prices for food and beverages, which make up 11.66 percent of the CPI basket, also increased by 0.7 percent in November compared to the same month in the previous year.
Conversely, the prices of clothing and footwear declined by 0.8 percent year on year in November.
“Annualized inflation has averaged 2.8 percent over January to November and is likely to come in just marginally higher than our long-held forecast for an average of 2.6 percent,” said Emirates NBD.
It added: “We expect price growth to remain at a broadly similar level in 2026, forecasting an average of 2.5 percent over the course of the year.”
In October, a report by the International Monetary Fund noted that inflation in the GCC region is expected to average at 1.7 percent in 2025 and 2 percent in 2026, underscoring the bloc’s resilience to global price pressures.
