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RIYADH: A wedding dress left in a taxi, 505,856 burgers delivered to hungry clients, and 24,000 rides to World Cup stadiums are some of the notable revelations from Dubai-based super app Careem as it released its 2022 business figures.

Drivers for the company – which is owned by Uber, a firm in which Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has 3.75 percent stake – undertook 97 million rides and clocked up 1.2 billion kilometers in 2022, with Saudi Arabia marking the highest number of trips in the region with 26.8 million. 

According to Careem’s data, mobile phones, laptops, Air Pods and wallets were the most repeatedly forgotten items during rides, whereas a bridal dress was the most unorthodox forgotten item.  

As well as the trips to the Qatar stadiums in the FIFA World Cup, 55,000 rides were completed to and from Dubai’s Expo 2022.  

Mudassir Sheikha, CEO and co-founder of Careem, described 2022 as an “exciting year for Careem” as it registered its 1 billionth ride, as well as celebrated its 10th birthday.

He added: “The Super App continued to deliver extraordinary value for customers as Careem Plus grew in popularity and we introduced a range of innovative new ride-hailing, delivery, fintech, and partner services, while expanding Careem BIKE in the UAE and into KSA.”

Al Baik in Saudi Arabia and McDonalds in the UAE and Jordan were the most common restaurants ordered through Careem Food last year.  

Chicken McNuggets was the most frequently ordered item; however, healthy food orders grew 47 percent in 2022 from 2021.  

As for Careem Quik, its monthly grocery orders increased 26 times in 2022, and whereas Coca Cola topped the orders of men, women ordered more fruits, vegetables and herbs.  

That figures showed that orders through Careem Express, the company’s B2B delivery business, multiplied 2.3 times in 2022, with 505,856 burgers being delivered to Careem Express clients that year.  

Careem Pay’s fintech services were used by 286,000 people, with clients topping up $50 million into their Careem wallets.  

The firm also raised $778,162 for humanitarian, education and economic empowerment initiatives throughout the year.