Dubai: Making more than 7 million bicycle trips in the past four years, residents and tourists in Dubai have managed to reduce more than 4 million kg of carbon emissions, which is equal to removing 1,200 cars from the road.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Careem announced on Tuesday completing 7.35 million Careem Bike trips since launching the service in 2020.
Rising demand
Careem Bike has become the largest pedal-assist bike-sharing network in the region, with 197 stations across Dubai’s cycling network offering around 1,800 bikes for rent. In 2023, Dubai users made more than 2.3 million trips a 66.3 per cent increase over 2022. It indicates high demand for bike use, especially for first- and last-mile trips, which accounted for 76 per cent of total rides.
Longest ride
To date, Careem Bike users have collectively covered 28.4 million km. The longest individual trip recorded spanned 48km, from Quranic Park in Al Khawaneej to the Marina Promenade. Residents account for 68 per cent of total trips and the rest of the users were tourists.
Hussain Al Banna, CEO of RTA’s traffic and roads agency, said: “Achieving this milestone in the number of trips made on Careem Bikes, aligns with the government’s commitment to promoting sustainable transportation methods and fostering a bicycle-friendly environment across Dubai.”
Bassel Al Nahlaoui, managing director of mobility at Careem, underlined that an increasing number of people choose to get around Dubai by bike.
“Through our RTA partnership, we’ve expanded Careem Bike across Dubai’s most popular business districts, residential communities, and retail destinations. In just four years, Careem Bike has grown into the leading bike-sharing initiative in the region, thanks to the incredible support from the RTA.”
Launched in 2020 with the objective of supporting Dubai’s sustainability agenda and promoting an active lifestyle, Careem Bike has since expanded to Abu Dhabi and Madinah, Saudi Arabia, with plans for further regional expansion.
To rent a Careem Bike, users can access the Careem app and select ‘Bike’ on the home screen. New users get 50 per cent off their first-day pass using code RIDE50 and Careem Plus members can enjoy an unlimited 30 per cent off one-day pass, for a monthly fee of just Dh19 per month.
