Wasim Akram appointed CEO of Careem for a day; announces major price cuts

Waseem Akram announced price cuts up to 25% on GO cars in Lahore, and 20% in Karachi.

ADVERTISEMENT Published April 17, 2017

Careem, the region’s leading ride-hailing app, in an unexpected move announced former Pakistani cricketer and left-arm fast bowler Wasim Akram as the company's honorary CEO for a day. As his first act in the role, Akram announced price cuts on GO cars in both Lahore and Karachi.

The drop in prices is significant; fares in Lahore, for instance, can go as low as PKR 100.

"I am excited to announce Wasim Akram as our Honorary CEO of Careem Pakistan," stated Junaid Iqbal, MD Careem Pakistan, via a live video on Careem's official Facebook page. "He is the perfect cultural fit for Careem, and there is no one more qualified than the Sultan of Swing, Wasim Akram to head Careem Pakistan. I am proud to pass the torch to him and I have full confidence that he will bring out the best in our employees, captains and customers.”

MD Careem Junaid Iqbal with honorary CEO Wasim Akram

Post retirement, much like many former cricketers, Akram became a prominent commentator. He then took up the role of the coach of Indian Premier League (IPL) side Kolkata Knight Riders, and has since helped them get crowned as champions in 2012 and 2014.

As he was announced the honorary CEO of the tech company for just one day, Wasim asked both captains and customers to share one change they would like him to make, given his new authority. At the end of the day, Akram decided to implement a change in Careem’s current fare structure by dropping the prices on its already affordable GO cars. This price cut on GO cars will result in a reduction of 25% on fares in Lahore, and a 20% fare reduction in Karachi.

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. A pioneer in the region’s ‘sharing economy’, Careem's mission is to make people’s lives simpler and create millions of jobs. Established in July 2012, Careem currently operates in more than 50 cities, across 11 countries in the broader Middle East, including North Africa, Turkey and Pakistan.

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Comments (25) Closed

hassan

Apr 17, 2017 04:39pm

Excellent !

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kamal hasan

Apr 17, 2017 04:53pm

this was the worst marketing tactic by careem.

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Pak Khan

Apr 17, 2017 05:13pm

Captains in GO class are already finding it hard to meet ends, cut the rate for higher classes!

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learner

Apr 17, 2017 05:57pm

@kamal hasan why can you explain please.

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khurram

Apr 17, 2017 06:07pm

Its courages to attempt something different, we must appreciate attempt new concepts

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Talha

Apr 17, 2017 07:59pm

"At the 'end of the day', Akram decided to implement a change in Careem’s current fare structure by dropping the prices on its already affordable GO cars". If Wasim Akram is CEO for only a day and he decided to reduce the fare at 'day-end' then there is no point in reducing the price as many people have already reached their home or about to reach home at the day end through other means. I hope I am wrong and that this is applied tomorrow starting from the morning and then lasts through the entire day.

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Syed Mohiuddin

Apr 17, 2017 09:06pm

yes we all like and appreciate dedicated efforts Careem in the transport profession/industry

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Sameer

Apr 17, 2017 09:26pm

i have a better Idea: Make Faisal Edhi CEO for a day! Let patients use Careem for free?!

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javed qamer USA

Apr 17, 2017 09:44pm

Its a pleasure to read that Careem is doing so well. I met Junaid a few years ago and one thing that impressed me about him was when asked to introduce himself he got up on a table and spoke impromptu for 3 minutes. We need more young people like Junaid in Pakistan who can take charge and deliver.

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rana usman

Apr 18, 2017 12:24am

too late for such a sublime action! No doubt Wasim Akram is top he bowler that has ever played for a Great country. But i must say Wasim continued the his work for Pakistan as in cricket earning countless prestigious titles for his country and now giving relief to the passengers who hire careem. Possibly not like Ramiz Raja ,if he has this opportunity, he definitely would have increase the price for his family's bank balance , such a utter unethical person he is, just to save his commentary position he was bluntly pressured PCB to join the BIG 3 gang. a move not different then any other politician, roughly arrogant Love for Wasim Akram , very down to earth person.

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rana usman

Apr 18, 2017 12:25am

loved it

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hani

Apr 18, 2017 01:05am

bravo....

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Imad Qureshi

Apr 18, 2017 01:33am

They only made him a CEO for a day. Any opportunity for betting on poor performance of Careem is now lost.

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Adnan farooqui

Apr 18, 2017 02:23am

@Pak Khan Careem is going to make up the 20 percent difference itself. Captains will make what they made prior to the price cut. I'm a vendor with cars in Careem and this is what they've told us over email.

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Azmeen

Apr 18, 2017 05:08am

Excellent! Kareem is providing affordable & comfortable service for millions.

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Shahid

Apr 18, 2017 06:27am

Are we supposed to give our views on a paid advertisement?

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imtiaz ali khan

Apr 18, 2017 08:08am

Wasn't expecting this by Careem, this news got me like a toe crushing reverse swinging yorker of Wasim/Waqar attack :) Good luck to all parties involved wish you guys success, create more jobs and be fair/good to humanity.

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adil shah

Apr 18, 2017 09:22am

Nice move. Careem knows marketing tricks.

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Iqbal ahmed

Apr 18, 2017 10:27am

This past February I was in Karachi and decided to give Careem a try. The Android application is not very user friendly. I thought I needed to put my destination address and the GPS would fetch my pick up location. Wrong. When I realized my mistake and cancelled the ride I was hit with a Rs. 200 plus fee. I still went ahead and booked and completed a ride after that. Second time I booked a car and the application crashed. When the driver dropped me off he charged me twice the fare as the system thought I had completed the "crashed" ride. I called customer service and they were adamant that I send email to customer service. I sent 6 emails to customer service explaining to them what happened and I wanted a credit but never got a reply. Really shoddy customer service. Finally gave up and considered it as a charity to Careem. My advice: Do not put in your credit card number in the app as they will charge you. Try to get your money back: Good luck to you sir is their attitude!!!

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Kashif ahmed

Apr 18, 2017 11:54am

Why not any discount in rawalpindi/islamabad?

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Nauman shahid

Apr 18, 2017 12:22pm

A move for branding Careem immediately after Dhoni was a one day CEO of an oil company. Come` on folks don` t just copy paste things which neighbors are doing.

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Asghar ali

Apr 18, 2017 01:09pm

Efforts to give cheap and secure transport by Careem should be encouraged and should never be criticized. Good luck to Careem to create many jobs in Pakistan

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M. Anas

Apr 18, 2017 01:38pm

It's mentioned above "Wasim asked both captains and customers to share one change they would like him to make" If Mr. Wasim decided to reduce the fare(s) for the customer(s) benefit, he at that time must have taken some measures which would be beneficial for the Captains as well, as they are not hired by Careem on the fixed salaries. I suggest that the current CEO of Careem should take some steps which would benefit the Captains as well e.g (Should decrease their profit margin from 20% to 10%, Increase in captain bonus etc) Careem Customer.

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Nofame

Apr 18, 2017 01:49pm

thats fine but what about Islamabad? why they are dealing this region differently?

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m Riaz Khan Advocate

Apr 18, 2017 02:37pm

Good thinker to do good work

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