Dubai-based ride-hailing service Careem has launched a new feature in its application that enables customers in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and Ajman to book a ride to the vaccination center.
Furthermore, the latest ‘Get vaccinated’ tool provides citizens with accurate information from official government sources on the various vaccinations available in the UAE, vaccine eligibility, as well as the timings and locations of all vaccination sites throughout the country.
The customer can call the nearest vaccination center via the app and book a secure and convenient ride to the vaccination site in just two taps.
Mudassir Shaikha, CEO and co-founder of Careem said, “We are grateful that the UAE government has invested so much to provide easy access to the COVID-19 vaccines, and we wanted to do our part to encourage everyone who can to get vaccinated by making that process just a little simpler.”
Bassel Alnahlaoui MD – Mobility Careem
“There is no shortage of information that is out there regarding the vaccines and the procedures, but the challenge is finding the information that is relevant to you and your family that will help you with your next step. We are constantly looking at data at Careem, and trying to understand what our customers are doing and how we can help tackle their biggest pain points. As you can imagine, right now, COVID-19 is at the top of everyone’s mind, along with finding information that is relevant to their needs. People are always seeking the latest updates, so we decided to play a role in making this process simpler for them.”
Careem has formed a dedicated team of product managers, designers, and engineers to develop the world’s first vaccine transport feature in an app to help national vaccination efforts. Due to most of the vaccination sites being newly established and not yet appearing on maps, Careem has collected the location, phone number, and operating hours of each site and built that information into the new tool.
Mr. Alnahlaoui stated, “There are some centers that are only providing the vaccines for the elderly, there are some that are only offering the second shot, so we have to do our best to get this information to residents that are looking for it. Also, this is not a one-time thing for us; this is a live feature that requires us to stay updated. We want to make it as easy as possible for residents to get in touch with the closest center and book an appointment for their vaccination– we want to help facilitate the process of you getting there and getting back safely.”
He further added that the function would be gradually extended to the remaining three emirates. “We are also keeping a very close eye on performance and feedback, and will continue to improve the feature as we see fit; our aim is not just to offer this feature across the rest of the UAE, but the region as well.”
Mr. Alnahlaoui has also revealed that Careem plans to introduce a similar option for PCR tests. “PCR tests are not going to disappear anytime soon. We know that there is a need for information about centers where you can get a PCR test done if you want to travel or attend an important event. We plan to have something similar where you can find the closest testing center and get information on timings, prices, and bookings. We are looking into helping out wherever we can,” he concluded.
