Uber's Mideast Addition Careem Offers Bus Hailing to Pilgrims

  • Service will provide direct rides between Jeddah and Mecca
  • Bus routes further cement Uber’s presence in Saudi Arabia
Careem ride-hailing app in Dubai.Photographer: Christopher Pike/Bloomberg
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Careem Networks FZ, the Middle Eastern ride-hailing company recently snatched up by Uber Technologies Inc., is expanding in Saudi Arabia with a bus-transport service tailored to the millions of religious pilgrims flocking to the kingdom each year.

Careem, which agreed in March to be bought by the U.S. mobility pioneer for $3.1 billion, will provide direct rides between Jeddah on the Red Sea to the holy city of Mecca for 25 riyals ($6.70) each way, a distance covering about 85 kilometers (53 miles.)