What's new

Uber buys rival Careem in $3.1 billion deal to dominate ride-hailing in Middle East

Abdullah719

T20I Captain
Joined
Apr 16, 2013
Runs
44,825
Uber Technologies Inc. is set to announce a $3.1 billion cash-and-share deal to acquire its Dubai-based rival Careem Networks FZ as early as this week, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The U.S. ride-hailing giant will pay $1.4 billion in cash and $1.7 billion in convertible notes for Careem, the people said, asking not to identified because the talks are private. The notes will be convertible into Uber shares at a price equal to $55 per share, according to the term-sheet seen by Bloomberg.

Shareholders in Careem, whose backers include Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s investment firm and Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten Inc., have been asked to agree to the terms of the transaction by Monday evening and a deal could be announced as soon as Tuesday, the people said.

Uber spokesman Matt Kallman declined to comment while a spokesman for Careem wasn’t immediately able to comment.

Uber’s acquisition of Careem would come ahead of its imminent initial public offering, which could be one of the New York Stock Exchange’s biggest-ever listings. Uber is expected to publicly file for an IPO in April, kicking off a listing that could value the company at as much as $120 billion, people familiar with the plans have said previously.


Mideast Startup

Careem was valued at about $1 billion in a 2016 funding round, making it one of the most valuable technology startups in the Middle East. The company has over a million drivers and operates in more than 90 cities in 15 countries, according to its website.

For Uber, a deal would signal its commitment to the Middle East, where one of its biggest investors -- a Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund -- is based.

The acquisition would also be a departure in strategy for Uber, which has used such deals to offload costly overseas operations in exchange for stakes in competitors in the past.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...seal-3-1-billion-deal-to-buy-careem-this-week
 
This is bad news for Pak because we only have Uber and Careem.


Careem is absolutely demolishing Uber in the Pakistani market and I've only used it whenever I've been in Pak. Now there will be Uber monopoly.
 
This is bad news for Pak because we only have Uber and Careem.


Careem is absolutely demolishing Uber in the Pakistani market and I've only used it whenever I've been in Pak. Now there will be Uber monopoly.

This was eventually going to happen sooner or later. Uber is a giant that started the whole ‘shared economy’ thing and they will absorb the biggest players in all lines of business.
 
Bad news for the customer.

Uber's lobbyists attack the competition by bribing the politicians/lawmakers. And if a business survives that; Uber buys it.

Once Uber has monopoly over the market with high entry barriers; Uber will raise the price of services.

Uber is the nastiest version of a capitalist giant.
 
This is bad news for Pak because we only have Uber and Careem.


Careem is absolutely demolishing Uber in the Pakistani market and I've only used it whenever I've been in Pak. Now there will be Uber monopoly.

I use whichever one is offering more discounts :srt

Standard fares, Careem is better. They have higher standards as well, Uber has some really run-down cars specially in the Uber mini category.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If true, this would be a huge exit for a Pakistani entrepreneur, born and raised in Pakistan (and studied with me in college at LUMS). Most of Careem's tech was also developed in Pakistan <a href="https://t.co/HfKPv1uoqX">https://t.co/HfKPv1uoqX</a></p>— Umar Saif (@umarsaif) <a href="https://twitter.com/umarsaif/status/1109840235775643648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Bad news for the customer.

Uber's lobbyists attack the competition by bribing the politicians/lawmakers. And if a business survives that; Uber buys it.

Once Uber has monopoly over the market with high entry barriers; Uber will raise the price of services.

Uber is the nastiest version of a capitalist giant.

Uber drivers make peanuts in most markets.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If true, this would be a huge exit for a Pakistani entrepreneur, born and raised in Pakistan (and studied with me in college at LUMS). Most of Careem's tech was also developed in Pakistan <a href="https://t.co/HfKPv1uoqX">https://t.co/HfKPv1uoqX</a></p>— Umar Saif (@umarsaif) <a href="https://twitter.com/umarsaif/status/1109840235775643648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Not a problem. He can re-invest this money for something else or something similar.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Today, we start Chapter 2 of our story. Careem is joining forces with Uber to better serve the region<br><br>We will operate independently, so the app, services and brand you love will continue to be available as usual.<br><br>For more details, visit <a href="https://t.co/1eGk5u6d1w">https://t.co/1eGk5u6d1w</a> <a href="https://t.co/xn53Q9iyLI">pic.twitter.com/xn53Q9iyLI</a></p>— Careem (@careem) <a href="https://twitter.com/careem/status/1110446676861423616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Today, we start Chapter 2 of our story. Careem is joining forces with Uber to better serve the region<br><br>We will operate independently, so the app, services and brand you love will continue to be available as usual.<br><br>For more details, visit <a href="https://t.co/1eGk5u6d1w">https://t.co/1eGk5u6d1w</a> <a href="https://t.co/xn53Q9iyLI">pic.twitter.com/xn53Q9iyLI</a></p>— Careem (@careem) <a href="https://twitter.com/careem/status/1110446676861423616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Typical corporate jargon ** :))
 
NEW DELHI: The head of Uber said on Tuesday that the global ride services firm was counting on India, Africa and the Middle East for future growth amid investor fears about mounting losses and a slump in its share price.

Uber has exited several markets — including China and Southeast Asia — to pare back losses, and is in fierce competition with rival Ola in India, a market estimated to be worth $7 billion a year.

Since its public offering in May, Uber’s share price has tumbled some 30 per cent, while the company lost $5.2bn in the second quarter.

“India is a fundamental part of Uber’s growth going forward... it’s a top 10 market for us,” chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi told reporters in New Delhi.

“The profitability characteristics of our business here are improving. If I look at Uber’s growth over the next 10 years, it’s... going to be defined by India, Africa and the Middle East, more so than the developed markets.” Khosrowshahi brushed aside fears the stock price could fall further after the expiration of a lock-up period in November, after which company employees and early investors can sell their shares.

The chief executive, who was in Delhi to unveil an updated version of Uber’s app linking the Delhi Metro public transport system with its services, said he was focused on long-term prospects.

The revamped app is part of a global campaign to attract more users. While India is one of Uber’s biggest markets — with 12pc of its global rides — the firm still lags behind Ola in the nation of over 1.3bn people.

It has also struggled to keep up with the two largest online food-delivery players Zomato and Swiggy.

Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1512368/uber-turns-to-developing-states-as-losses-mount.
 
Uber, Ola etc have no viable financial model. Their growth has been fuelled by the massive subsidies bankrolled by the investors.

Companies like Meru, Tab Cab in India have a better operation financially as they own the cars. This allows for economies of scale. Unfortunately they can't compete with the deep pockets of uber, Ola.

Uber is pinning its hopes on self-driving cars which will cut down on the driver costs. However I don't see Indian govt allowing this as it will result in massive job loss.
 
Uber, Ola etc have no viable financial model. Their growth has been fuelled by the massive subsidies bankrolled by the investors.

Companies like Meru, Tab Cab in India have a better operation financially as they own the cars. This allows for economies of scale. Unfortunately they can't compete with the deep pockets of uber, Ola.

Uber is pinning its hopes on self-driving cars which will cut down on the driver costs. However I don't see Indian govt allowing this as it will result in massive job loss.

self driving cars wouldnt even be able to roam through the tiny narrow galis of asia untill it becomes very highly advanced.
 
Uber Technologies Inc will discontinue its ride-hailing services app in five cities including Karachi and Islamabad, the company said on Tuesday, in a move that will reduce market overlap between the US firm and its Middle East unit Careem.

The change, effective immediately, also covers the cities of Multan, Faisalabad and Peshawar, but the Uber app will continue operations in Lahore, where the company plans to launch new products.

It said drivers and riders in the five cities can switch to the app run by Careem, the Dubai-based company it purchased for $3.1 billion in 2019 to dominate the ride-hailing markets in the Middle East and Pakistan.

“When we acquired Careem, it was always our belief that the two companies could come together to complement each other’s strengths and better serve the region through tailored experiences,” the company said in the statement.

The exit comes amid economic meltdown exacerbated by devastating floods this summer that killed more than 1,700 and caused an estimated $30 billion in damage.

Uber said in a statement it would prioritise minimising the impact to its employees, drivers, riders, and partners who use the Uber app during this change in those cities.

Express Tribune
 
What is the service quality like in Pakistan?

Uber and Ola are atrocious in India.
 
Back
Top