Motorcycle Taxis Introduced in Rawalpindi and Islamabad

We may have our Travly and Careems and Ubers going around, all competing to become the first choice among ride-hailing services in Pakistan. But for a majority of Pakistanis with limited budgets, opting for cheaper transport options makes more sense.

The above mentioned services involve 3 to 4-wheelers, with cars and rickshaws for your ride. Some of them even come with additional waiting and base charges, which may put off people who hail their transport in a traditional way.

Cargar, a new startup from Pakistan, is hoping to change all that. Cargar is introducing motorcycle-based taxi service. They are rolling out in Islamabad and Rawalpindi now, in near proximity of metro stations initially.

About Faran Ahmed, the Man Behind Cargar

Faran Ahmed, a graduate from NUST and a software engineer by trade, is the CEO behind Cargar. His thinking was that many Pakistanis need cheaper transportation options. Hence the use of ‘bike taxis’.

Cargar aims to be the cheapest option of hailing a ride. They are using bikes in order to keep costs low.

He got the inspiration for the service while he was in Indonesia last year, observing how students there were using bike taxis to commute. And of course, the traffic in Indonesia reminded him of the traffic back home. It was only a matter of putting 2 and 2 together, which is 4 if you’re weak in maths.

Cargar_Team-(1)

How much is Cargar Charging their Customers?

The service is charging Rs. 15 per km, with Rs. 20 as base charges. No waiting charges or cancellation charges as seen with other ride-hailing services.

  • Base charges: Rs. 20
  • Per KM Charges: Rs. 15

All bikes will be in-house, with Cargar responsible for the vehicles and their riders. This is in sharp contrast to the model that car-hailing services like Uber and Careem follow.

Faran says that initially they will keep things in-house. Once the startup establishes a solid base, it will be moving on to the Uber Model.

Some Lingering Concerns

Though specifics weren’t shared, Faran had this to say about their revenue-sharing model:

We have designed our percentage sharing model in a way that our subscribers will be able to generate a handsome monthly income with little investment.

The startup launched its services on Monday 22nd 2016. They are planning to expand to Lahore and Karachi once they’ve established themselves in the twin cities of Rawalpindi-Islamabad. The startup is web-based for now, since they are developing a mobile app for the service. This can be a concern if you want to track your ride.

Additionally, questions abound about safety and security of passengers especially. The company needs to build consumer confidence by training and vetting drivers thoroughly. It also needs to give users of its services the tools to report any untoward incidents.

Training of drivers should also account for good road sense, as Pakistani roads are no stranger to many bikers prone to taking risky shortcuts and maneuvers. The new startup certainly has its work cut out for it.

If you are looking to try their service in Islamabad-Rawalpindi, check them out from here.

Samir is the Head of Entertainment at Lens by ProPakistani. You can reach out to him at samir.ya...


  • Its quite interesting but there are some further questions:
    1) What if a female needs ride?
    2) How much will they charge incase of traffic jam?

    Rs.15/km fare is not fair BTW :)

    • They are charging almost the same as other taxi services in ISB and RWP. The same price is changed by all of the yellow cab and black cab in ISB. Nothing new..

      • are you nuts? He is talking about the person who is driving motorcycle. A female passenger cannot use that ride. and don’t say these women in pic will ride the bike for female passengers.

  • Old thinking
    Its already being used in Rural Areas of Rahim Yar Khan, Sadiqabad. Bahawalnagar etc and on very less rates

    • exactly even in villages near dgkhan , i saw this service in a village name was i think Jhok Utra i guess so

  • This is hilarious….easy cab is charging Rs 20/KM with no hidden charges..no waiting charges no base fee ..nothing…y someone will call them if they can get the car with Rs5 more.

  • They should offer discounts on increasing number of kilometers.
    1 km: 15 Rs
    2 km: 25
    3 km: 30
    4-6km: 45

  • MESSAGE TO CARGAR
    You can make your service very popular by attaching a side car with every motorcycle. The passenger will sit comfortably in the side car. Women will like very much sitting in the side car because they will be reluctant to sit behind the driver. If there is a couple, the husband may sit behind the driver while the wife may sit in the side car, along with a small child. The side car will make your taxi very competitive with riksha, as two passengers can be taken.

  • This good service but need to make sure safety in all aspect in our country .i used this service n other countries .great work

  • Kabhi Khairpur (sindh) aao na khushboo laga ke…. we been doin’ that for 2 decades NOW here… :D

  • Appreciable. I hope my young generation will take inspiration from this idea and do more that this.

  • This is still expensive. Should be at most half the price of traditional taxis to even have a business chance

  • Pathetic. another crap startup. Seems our new grads are out of ideas. Wohi purani bheer chaal.. jis tarah ek film kamyab ho jaye tou sab usi jesi filmain banany lag jaty hain… no creativity at all. Too risky startup in such circumstances.

  • These motorcycle taxis are common in African countries. But here in Pakistan bikers even give free lift to hitch hikers. I also did this several times in past.

    By the way 15 KM per liter is high. 70cc motorcycle gives 45-55 KM/L average in city traffic.


  • Get Alerts

    Follow ProPakistani to get latest news and updates.


    ProPakistani Community

    Join the groups below to get latest news and updates.



    >