Ride-hailing app Careem has announced the shutdown of its services in Pakistan from July 18, 2025, after a decade of operations in the South Asian country.
In a message to users and drivers, Careem cited growing competition and economic challenges as key reasons behind its exit. The platform has faced stiff competition in recent years from rivals such as inDrive, Yango, and Bykea, which have steadily expanded their presence and gained market share in Pakistan.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision,” Careem Co-founder and CEO Mudassir Sheikha wrote in a post on LinkedIn. “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.”
At its peak, Careem had become a popular choice among office workers, university students and especially women commuters. However, in recent years, the app struggled to compete with platforms like inDrive, which allow users to negotiate fares directly with drivers, a feature that proved popular among price-sensitive Pakistani riders.
