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Wednesday, 8 June 2016

Uber, Careem raise fares 30-60%, Consumer Protection denies receiving complaints

In case you haven’t noticed, Uber and Careem have been implementing surge pricing as of late, seeing fares increased by 30-60% due to high demand in certain areas and low driver turnout as the ongoing heat wave overlaps with Ramadan, Al Borsa reported on Tuesday. Hadeer Shalaby, general manager at Careem Egypt, has denied that the Consumer Protection Agency (CPA) contacted the firm over surge pricing, saying fares would return to normal when heavy traffic and high demand fizzle out. Rival local firm Ousta has called on the CPA to enforce common pricing in the industry to encourage fair competition, but the CPA said it hasn’t received complaints about surge pricing and added neither Uber nor Careem is under investigation. Ousta, a darling of the local media, says it’s growing in the domestic market because it refuses to do surge pricing and offers features Uber and Careem have yet to match.

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