Careem and Uber Thank Pakistanis for Support During Ban Fiasco

Recently, on 31st January, the provincial government in Punjab banned popular ride-hailing apps Careem and Uber from operating. The move took many by surprise, with many people remarking about the abrupt suddenness of the move. Even the Sindh government followed soon after, raising more questions about the timing and the intent of the move amongst the general public.

Confusion and panic soon followed as many people realized that their transportation options were about to grow a lot more limited and less desirable. The move was widely condemned by Pakistanis all over.

The severe public backlash prompted a rethink by the authorities, with Dr. Umar Saif and subsequently Punjab CM stating later that the ban wasn’t official yet. And that the concerned ride-hailing companies will have to discuss ways to contribute to the national exchequer after conforming with the existing laws.

Many remarked that the strict laws being cited in the case of penalizing Careem and Uber were not applied with the same rigorousness on the numerous taxis and buses and rickshaws that are at least a decade or more old. It should be mentioned here that the authorities wanted Careem and Uber to furnish fitness certificates, route permits and more in order to operate on the roads.

Better sense has prevailed for now and the two ride hailing companies are allowed to operate as before in Pakistan. Careem and Uber have both thanked their supporters here.

Here are their official responses:

Careem’s Response

Careem is happy to inform all its customers and captains that it’s platform is live and there is not interruption in the service. On behalf of our team, captains and vendors, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude towards our customers, the print and electronic media and esteemed members of the civil society who spoke in support of ride hailing services.

We are also thankful to the respective Governments of Sindh and Punjab for taking notice of the prevailing situation and ensuring their support in working closely together to develop new enabling regulations to welcome the advent of the Sharing Economy in Pakistan. Several key meetings have been scheduled between the leadership of Careem and senior government officials in the coming days and we are extremely hopeful of making progress and working alongside the Government to help foster entrepreneurship, raise investment for our public transport infrastructure and above all, create millions of jobs.

Uber’s Response

You may have heard some news recently about Uber’s status in Pakistan. Rest assured, we will continue to meet with regulators and policy makers to help ensure that Pakistanis have access to safe, affordable and efficient transportation options.

In the meantime, we will stand by our driver-partners and riders.

To thank you for the outpouring of support, enjoy 25% off all your rides today.

Use this promo code to get 25% off: THANKYOUPAKISTAN

Promo code valid for up to 10 rides in Lahore and Karachi on both uberGO and uberAUTO, valid till midnight 12am, Friday 3rd February, 2017.

What are your thoughts on the whole ban? Do you support Uber and Careem or are you of the view that the provincial governments acted in accordance with the law? Sound off below.


  • Thanks to banta hai. Pakistanis wanted them to mint profits and pay no tax in the country they have offices in

    • nahi bhai because yeh log cheap services de rahe hain is liye humari awam in logon ko tax free rakhna chahti hai.

    • Abay yaar…..i think it is better they pay no tax….what setvice does the government really offer them…..traffic signals never work…..roads are bumpy and badly made….traffic police is corrupt…..and there is no providion of security if their cars get stolen……abroad all these facilities are provided so taxi services providers feel complelled to pay taxes to government…..yes they must pay taxes but we also have to see what they are getting in return…..

  • No Taxi Permit, No Route Permit, No Vehicle commercialization Fees, No tax on revenue to government: Even a small Chingchee and rickshaw pay these charges….They must obey local laws and regulations. They do bring good change in market FARE, but must follow rules to stay legal and for long lasting service

    • thats the best summary of whole episode, humari government ne tamasha lagaya, humara media dumroo bajata raha aur hum bandar ban kar nachte rahe. Aur wohi log jo hum se pehle bhi kama rahe, unko free ki publicity mili aur ab woh pehle se bhi ziyada kamaenge.

      Wah rey meri bhooli awam!

      • @kashifmuhammadqasim:disqus

        Bholi Si Surat
        Aankhon Mein Masti, Door Khadi Sharmaaye, Haye Haye Haye Haye

        Ek Jhalak Dikhlaye Kabhi,Kabhi Aanchal Mein Chupjaye
        Aye Hai, Meri Nazar Se Tum Dekho To Bhooli Awam Nazar Woh Aaye

        Haye Haye Awam Haye Haye

    • Is ur PM giving tax, then y should a poor driver pay when he is running around on roads for whole day.
      It is easy to sit on couch and pass comments. These ideas are valid when everything is in place, implementation should not be selective

    • Like realistically what are you giving…broken roads, inoperational traffic signals, corrupt police offcials, terrible security standards, no safety regulations….o bhai….yeh batein saree wahaan chaltee hain jahaan sub kuch sahee ho….agar government saree services provide karr rahee ho auur apnaa kaam karr rshee ho toh logon kaa bhee dill chahtaa hai tax dsinay kaa….

  • Wow ProPK is becoming more of a dheet bacha, Where the he** you got this word BAN? Its you who invented this. It was never said that these services are BAN not by any minister nor in the leaked letter. Its just you who created the hype and got the desired traffic.

    @aamir I am sorry if I am being too loud but thats how it goes on ProPK these days. We should better start looking for alternatives…

    • Sadly Propakistani is going so low for traffic, not only this Aamir is bringing his PTI affiliation to this once good blog. Now news are twisted, facts concealed and headlines are like those of ARY and BOL…” Asa nahe chalay ga” :)

    • Exactly, the services were working all along. Never banned. But these sites were shouting like crazy that it’s banned.

      • Ban kar di thien, official letter bhi chala gaya tha PTA ko aur roads pe pakar dhakar bhi shuru hogai thi. Per awam aur media k shor machany pe implementation maukhar kar diya gaya 2 weeks k liye. So propak was right it gpt banned actually and called the services illegal.

        • Yep you are right. Police was stopping vehicles which they suspected belonged to Careem or Uber service. It is only after the initial fiasco that they changed their ‘stance’.

  • You didn’t mention Careem Promo Code in this article. That was also as a gesture of gratitude for Pakistan.
    Code = CareemForAll
    Rs. 100 flat fare (one time)
    Expiry = 2nd February


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