Every week, ILQ features a different Qatari startup in our ‘Startup of the Week’ segment. Qatar has some of the most creative, unique, and impactful startups in the region, and we cover them all across a variety of industries in Doha—from fashion and beauty to food and dining, health, education, technology, and more!
This week, we're featuring a new way to travel in Qatar. RYDE is a Doha bred and based ride-hailing app created to address some of the current problems customers and drivers experience in the marketplace.
According to the company's website, it's the first company in Qatar to pass security and privacy compliance. "Our customers’ and drivers’ data protection and privacy measures are our highest priority."
Options for riding include RYDE Eco, RYDE Limousine, RYDE Group, and RYDE Luxurious. There's even RYDE Pink which allows comfortable and quick rides with female drivers for families and females.
We asked RYDE's CEO, Baha Suliman, how did they come up with the name. "As you can imagine the word "ride" would come up a lot in meetings early on. We then figured that in this case, the shortest road traveled is the best road traveled."
According to Baha, they have been working on RYDE since 2018 and it was supposed to be launched in early 2020. however, it was pushed back to September 2020 due to covid-19 restrictions. "We’re still new so being active in the marketplace alongside international giants is an achievement in itself thus far," Baha added.
When asked what motivated them to start the company, he shared that the term "Fareness." "We found that one of the biggest problems that have developed specifically in the ride-sharing industry is inequality," he said.
A combination of fares and fairness, it's the company's purpose and at the center of its values. The company's fareness mantra is also what separates them from other similar businesses in Qatar.
RYDE is constructed to offer both customers and our driving partners the best fares possible. We want our customers to pay low and our driving partners to receive high. Our competitors focus solely on the people in the back seat and totally disregard the people behind the wheel. RYDE is about making both happy.
Customer response has been positive so far, with the company headed in the right direction. "We’re brand new, not even six months in, so we have our ups and downs like any company in its infancy. However, all of us are pleased with customer response and excited about the future of our customers and the future of RYDE," Baha shared.
As to what customers in Qatar can expect of RYDE, the company's CEO said that they want to continue to provide reliable services, affordable prices, happy customers, and happy driving partners.
"In the future, we want to introduce some innovative solutions into the industry via RYDE and naturally, expand the RYDE brand.”
*All photos are courtesy of RYDE
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