Pakistan is lucky to get two international car hailing services, namely Uber and Careem this year. The business class and tech savvy people have applauded both of the companies for their efforts to bring quality business class taxi services in the country.

However it seems like now these companies are trying to squeeze more money from customers while claiming to provide them better services. Recently Uber has introduced surge pricing for Lahore, where customers have to pay up to 5 times of the fare in case there is huge demand.

Following the footsteps of Uber, Careem has also started to charge “Peak Time Pricing” for Lahore customers. The company claims that while peak time pricing introduces increased fares during times of high demand in a particular area, it also improves availability for patrons who need a ride right there and then.

Once the demand reduces, the trip fare reduces to its standard rate and patrons who can wait continue to benefit from economical fares. However customers are of the view that this is just a gimmick to get more money from them, despite the fact that there are more and more cars available now.

Peak Time Pricing Mechanics:

You will be informed that peak pricing will apply before you make the booking.

Here’s an example of how fare would be charged under peak pricing at a peak rate of 1.5X on a PKR 200 trip: 200 x 1.5: PKR 300 fare.

Note: Starting today this policy is applicable for all car types and for both NOW and LATER bookings in Lahore.