The future is well and truly here in Dubai thanks to the launch of a new pay-as-you-go car rental app that will see you leaving your car at home and even bidding farewell to that expensive Uber – udrive has launched.
Udrive is a new Dubai-based concept, that allows you to rent a car by the minute. Essentially like hiring a By-Ky bike but it’s cheaper and allows you to travel so much further, oh and it’s a car.
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From today, udrive cars are dotted all throughout Dubai, and can be booked, unlocked and paid for via their app. Is it expensive? Not at all. For a mere 50 fils per minute, you can be zooming around Dubai with all your insurance, petrol and parking fees included.
By free petrol, we mean pull up at any ENOC or EPPCO petrol station, and let the VIP sticker on the petrol tank do the talking – you literally don’t have to pay anything, and better still you get rewarded with 20 minutes free driving time for filling the car up.
This VIP sticker means you don’t have to pay when refuelling at any ENOC or EPPCO petrol station
Want to know how much a trip from JLT to Mall of the Emirates costs? 8 dirhams. That’s cheaper than a RTA taxi, which has a minimum fee of Dhs12.
Want to know what to do with the car when you’re done? Simply get out. Leave it wherever you please, ready for whoever fancies booking it next.
udrive cars are accessed via an app
While the rate is 50 fils per minute, if you have the car for more than four hours, you’ll receive a flat day rate of Dhs120, allowing you to use the car for the remainder of the day. It does cap at 150km though, with every additional kilometer after that costing another 25 fils – still incredibly affordable.
Currently, udrive’s fleet is only 50 strong, but they’re planning on expanding it to 200 cars within the next couple of weeks.
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The Simple Steps To How The udrive works:
1 – Find the nearest car to you using the app, then book it – giving you 15 minutes to get to the car.
2 – Once you’re at the car, give it a quick condition and cleanliness rating, then unlock it via the app.
3 – Inside the glove compartment you’ll find a keypad with a pair of keys sticking out of the bottom. Enter in the PIN provided to you on the app, and the keys will pop right out.
4 – Once the keys are out, the meter starts, and you’re free to drive wherever you please.
5 – At your destination, pop the keys back into the keypad, then simply step out. The cost is calculated from when you take out the keys and when it is placed back.
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To be eligible for udrive, all you need to do is fill in your Emirates ID or passport info, upload a picture of your driver’s license – either local or international (meaning it’s ideal for tourists, too)– plug in your card information and then wait for validation. There is a monthly membership fee of Dhs20, but that’s about the cost of your average taxi to the mall.
If you’re always out of, or never buy data for your phone, a membership card can be bought for Dhs50, and will unlock the car without having to use the app on your phone.
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Each car will come kitted out with diagnostics, so if you break down udrive will be able to send one of their 10 service team to help you out. The same team is also in charge of driving around town making sure the cars are clean too.
So, if you’re paying more than Dhs60 to get into work each day, you could literally just book out a udrive car for the day, and pay a maximum of Dhs120 to get you there and back with free parking included.
If you’re taking the car out of Dubai to another emirate though, make sure to bring it back to Dubai. Currently udrive are only operating here and we can’t imagine they’d be too happy if you left one of their cars in Fujairah.
As far as free parking goes, you can leave your car anywhere except for Deira Fish Market and certain places in Media City.
They’re giving a whole new definition to affordable public transport.
Tel: (800)-udrive. udrive.ae.
