Transport can be a hassle at the best of times and an active blockade at the worst of times. However, with online services at their all-time height, this issue is more easily resolved. Let’s talk a bit about the top taxi apps in Saudi Arabia!
Careem
Careem is an incredibly accessible option available in Saudi Arabia’s biggest pros are its incredible delivery system, guaranteeing your goods get to the right doorstep in a matter of minutes, state-of-the-art mapping tech ensuring that riders take the most appropriate routes, and real-time tracking, ensuring you have eyes on your products or your drivers around the clock. The payments are also fixed and can vary a bit depending on changes in the route/location.
For the most part, you can expect professional service and experience – we recommend it over taxis if you’re coming for the first time. You can also check this guide to calculate your trip rates.
Download the Careem app – Iphone
Uber
Careem’s rival in the taxi business – Uber – is a solid ride to take as well. Like Careem, it has fixed prices and different choices in vehicles. For women, it has the “Women Preferred View” option, which lets you connect to female riders if you feel more comfortable.
Uber drivers are also fairly knowledgeable about the ideal routes in Saudi Arabia and use GPS navigation, as a rule, to always get you there on time. It is one of the most popular ride apps in the kingdom, used by millions across the country – with locals and foreign immigrants making up its driver base.
Uber has one of the strongest quality checks in terms of car services. Each driver’s rating is carefully tracked, and complaints are taken incredibly seriously. This is why Uber services are generally highly reliable, with professional and courteous service.
Download the Uber app – Iphone
Jeeny
Jeeny’s strong suit is its reasonable prices and the range of available drivers. For people who need to take a ride daily and find a driver quickly, this is the app. However, customers have experienced poor customer service and wait times from drivers.
Additionally, the available driver range may show you many drivers very close to you, but in actuality, the ones that accept will tend to take a while.
Still, its prices are extremely competitive compared to the others on this list so far.
Recently, as part of the Vision 2030 plan by the Crown Prince, Jeeny received a fair bit of governmental support, which has helped it establish itself as one of the top ride-hailing apps in the kingdom.
Jeeny generally doesn’t have the strongest quality checks when it comes to drivers in exchange for their competitive rates. However, the reviews are mostly overwhelmingly positive. The complaint service also ensures that ill-behaved drivers are swiftly taken care of.
Bolt
Bolt has a penalty for canceled rides, which you will have to pay. It is 20% of the original fare. Bolt has prices that are as competitive or even more so than Jeeny, which definitely outdoes Careem and Uber in this regard. You can save up to 20-30 SAR or more.
However, it is difficult to consistently find riders with Bolt, unlike with Jeeny, where riders are over-available. In terms of Saudi taxi apps, this one isn’t as popular as you would expect. It is not unreliable, though, as you will get knowledgeable drivers and get where you need to go.
Due to its limited driver pool, ensuring quality is easier, making it one of the more professional and quality taxi apps.
Kaiian
Kaiian is a reliable ride-hailing app that offers drivers available even in secluded areas like Al’Ula, where it is hard to find Uber’s and Careem’s. The prices are not as competitive as Jeeny or Bolt, but you can expect to find drivers regularly at any time of the day most days.
This makes Kaiian incredibly reliable and ideal for travelers who need Saudi taxis by the hour to get around to places. Kaiian offers peace of mind in its competent drivers and their availability – making it more than worth the extra few SAR.
However, it has received some poor customer service reviews. Complaints usually consist of a lack of a reliable support team to contact in case of issues with drivers, such as drivers being too far away, unresponsive, or charging inappropriate rates such as 20-30 SAR for a 5-8KM ride.
There have also been complaints about the lack of a functioning compass on the map; thus, customers are not able to rely on it like Google Maps for figuring out apt routes.
Other issues have to do with interface issues, such as no confirmation messages being sent for rides and the lack of a wallet option, which makes keeping track of in-app funds more difficult than it should be – especially for those paying with local cards.
