Evolution of ride-hailing apps in last 6 years

12:05 PM (Mecca time) Argaam Special
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's flag

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's flag


The number of licensed ride-hailing apps in Saudi Arabia reached 45 by the end of the first nine months of 2024, according to data from the Transport General Authority (TGA).

 

More than 51.8 million trips were completed during the first nine months of 2024, while the total income of Saudi drivers working in the sector exceeded SAR 1.1 billion during the same period.

 

The data revealed that 2019 saw the highest number of trips via ride-hailing apps over the past six years, exceeding 80 million trips. In contrast, 2020 recorded the lowest number with around 49 million trips, coinciding with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The below is a table showing the development of the number of trips via ride-hailing apps in Saudi Arabia:

 

Number of Trips via Ride-Hailing Apps

Period

Number (mln)

Change YoY

2019

80.6

--

2020

49.1

(39%)

2021

65.5

+33%

2022

70.7

+8%

2023

63.8

(10%)

September 2024

51.8

--

 

 

In 2023, Riyadh topped the list of cities in terms of the number of trips, accounting for 40% of the total trips. This was followed by Makkah with approximately 25%, and the Eastern Province with over 17%.

 

Trips Completed via Ride-Hailing Apps by Administrative Regions:

Administrative Region

Number (mln)

Percentage

Riyadh

25.28

39.6 %

Makkah

15.61

24.5 %

Eastern Province

11.02

17.3 %

Madinah

4.03

6.3 %

Tabuk

1.85

2.9 %

Qassim

1.82

2.9 %

Aseer

1.54

2.4 %

Hail

1.18

1.9 %

Jazan

0.71

1.1 %

Al Jouf

0.29

0.5 %

Najran

0.17

0.3 %

Al Baha

0.16

0.3 %

Northern Borders

0.13

0.2 %

Total

63.78

100.0 %

 

The number of licensed ride-hailing apps in the Kingdom increased from eight apps in 2018 to nearly 45 apps currently.

 

Number of Licensed Ride-Hailing Apps

Period

Number

2018

8

2019

11

2020

16

2021

34

2022 *

--

2023

36

9M 2024

45

*Data is not available.

 

The number of active Saudi drivers in ride-hailing services in the Kingdom reached 260,700 in 2023, from 276,200 in 2020. Data for other years is unavailable.
 

Meanwhile, the total number of qualified drivers by the end of 2023 was approximately 308,000, as shown below:

 

 Number of Drivers (000’)

Period

Number of Qualified Drivers

2017

220.0

2018

485.0

2019

679.1

2020

803.2

2021

386.3

2022 *

--

2023

308.0

*Data is not available.

 

Below are some of the 45 licensed ride-hailing apps according to the TGA latest data:

 

 

Company

App

1

Al-Asad Information Technology Co.

Go Now

2

Terahal Land Transport Co.

Rehla

3

Sara Transport Co.

sara

4

Gulf Energy Solutions Co.

zizoom

5

Qafila Logistics Services Co.

Qafila

6

Kian Rahla Co.

kaiian

7

Maalem Marketing Co.

Zahib

8

Careem Co.

Careem

9

Captain Azouz Co.

azooz

10

Uber Saudi Arabia Ltd.

uber

 

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