- People of determination can now get around the capital with ride hailing app Careem, thanks to their new car type “Assist” launched in partnership with “Inclusion Services” Sweden’s leading provider of special-needs transportation.
- Assist cars are especially equipped with equipment to transport people with physical disabilities and with Captains trained on how to support this sector of the community
Abu Dhabi: Careem today announced the introduction of their special car type “Assist” to serve the Abu Dhabi community of people of determination. In partnership with “Inclusion Services” Sweden’s leading operator of ground transportation services for the physically disabled, the cars will be available to book via the Careem app for trips originating in the Capital.
Inclusion cars are uniquely designed to cater for people of determination. Captains are carefully selected based on their temperament and empathetic nature and then go onto receive in-depth training on how to look after a passenger and ensure that they are safe and comfortable at all times. On booking an Assist car, a passenger will be taken door to door to their end destination with wheelchairs on board or the capacity to take a passenger’s wheelchair on board. The vehicles are especially designed to lower to the ground and with ramps to allow the easy onboarding and exit of wheelchairs.
Commenting on the introduction of Assist, Bassel Al Nahlaoui, Managing Director of Careem, Gulf said: “With thousands of people of determination living in Abu Dhabi it is only right that we do our bit as a major provider of ground transportation, to cater for this segment of the community. Ride hailing apps are borne from the notion that technology can play a role in simplifying and improving people’s lives. Connecting someone with a ride nearby to get them to a destination, when they want, hassle free, is something that everyone should have access to in today’s world. To play a role in providing people of determination with more freedom to get out and about to see their friends, go for lunch, head to the mall, all the things we take for granted, is a true privilege and something we hope to extend out to every city we operate in.”
Commenting on the partnership with Careem, Ingemar Fredricsson, CEO of Inclusion Services commented: “our partnership with Careem is not only a unique opportunity to help serve the Abu Dhabi community but also represents a much wider mission for us. We hope to be able to use this model or working with a ride hailing app, to take our services across the wider Middle East and serve every city Careem operates in. It’s also a very positive day for the ride hailing industry, to be broadening their service offering to the very people that need it more than anyone. The freedom to get out and about in comfort and with respect and dignity is something everybody deserves.”
Photo caption: Ahmed Al Qubaisi seen using the Careem Assist service for a trip to the local mall. Ahmed is a prominent figure in the local Abu Dhabi community- he has been a participant of the unique SEDRA Foundation* vocational training program, the Industry Practitioner Program since its launch in May 2017. In addition, Ahmed is also a SEDRA Special Olympics Volunteer Champion- in this role he reaches out the community at events to inspire more people to support the Regional and World Games.
*SEDRA Foundation for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities www.sedra.org
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About Careem
Careem is the region’s leading ride-hailing service that provides reliable, safe and affordable transportation choices via a mobile app, on the web and through a call center. Careem is a pioneer in the region’s “sharing economy”- its mission is to make people’s lives simpler and create millions of jobs. Established in July 2012, Careem operates in more than 80 cities across 12 countries in the broader Middle East including North Africa, Turkey and Pakistan. www.careem.com
About Inclusion Services
Inclusion Services LLC originates from Sweden where the company is the leading provider of inclusive transport. The fleet in Stockholm consists of 800 vehicles and carry out around 8000 trips each day. This means almost 3 million trips each year in total and considering that the company has been in operation for thirty years it has extensive experience and knowledge about handling people with special needs. The company vision is to be “A global service provider for people with special needs”. UAE is the first step in the company’s international expansion which apart from inclusive transport will also cover other inclusion services that is today provided in Sweden.
