Careem has announced it will shut down its ride-hailing operations in Pakistan effective July 18, 2025, ending its years-long presence in one of its largest markets.
In an official notification to users, the company expressed gratitude for the support it received over the years and acknowledged the difficulty of the decision.
Careem said users with balances in their digital wallets would receive instructions soon on how to reclaim their funds. “If you have a remaining balance in your Careem Wallet, we’ll be in touch soon with clear instructions on how to reclaim it. Careem Care will remain available until 18th September 2025, to help you with any pending issues or questions you may have,” their statement added.
Customer support under “Careem Care” will remain operational until September 18, 2025, to resolve any pending issues.
The ride-hailing app has quit Pakistan amid strong competition from similar services. Apps like Yango and inDrive have had a big edge over the Dubai-based super app and have been controlling the ride-hailing market for quite some time. Careem had no option but to close this part of its operations. It still has active operations in 9 other countries besides Pakistan.
The Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Careem wrote on LinkedIn that this was an incredibly difficult decision. “The challenging macroeconomic reality, intensifying competition, and global capital allocation made it hard to justify the investment levels required to deliver a safe and dependable service in the country. In the end, the Careem Rides team had to make this tough call,” he said.
Careem first launched its ride-hailing services in Pakistan in 2016, specifically in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. They strategically launched around the time when 3G and 4G connections were becoming widely available in the country.
While ride-hailing is sunsetting, Careem’s journey in Pakistan continues in a different role. Careem Technologies (the spinout building the Everything App) will continue to build from Pakistan for the region, the CEO added.
