Pay-per-minute car rental service launches in Sharjah

Udrive, a pay-per-minute car rental app-based service operating in Dubai, has now launched in Sharjah.

The new service will initially provide 100 vehicles in the emirate with a fleet of Nissan Sunny’s and Kia Picanto’s, a statement said.

Vehicles will be available 24/7 and can be rented at a location nearest to a driver via the Udrive app or website.

Once registered, users can unlock cars through their smartphones. Along with keyless access, the service offers free parking across the key areas of the city, where permitted, as well as free petrol, the statement added. The exact parking locations have not been specified.

In terms of pricing, users pay for the time they drive. The service costs 50 fils plus VAT per minute and is capped after four hours.

After that users can drive 20 hours, the remaining day, for free, including 150km free mileage.

The service does not require any security deposit, minimum rental time or border crossing fees.

The Udrive service in Sharjah will also offer comprehensive insurance for all its users, the statement added.

Hasib Khan, CEO and founder of Udrive said: “We will make sure that the cars are available at hotspot locations across Sharjah. Moreover, all new customers that register for Udrive will enjoy a complimentary one-hour free drive to experience the service.”

Udrive has 20,000 registered users and currently records 600 trips per day, with over 100,000 trips recorded in 2017.

To use the service, users need to download the app and register along with their Emirates ID, driving licence and debit/credit card details. Tourists will also be able to use the service and will need their passport instead of the Emirates ID. They must also have a valid international driving licence recognised by the UAE government which must be at least one year old.