Udrive launches area-exclusive car rental station near Dubai World Trade Centre

Udrive, the pay-per-minute car rental platform, has announced the launch of Udrive Stations, an area-exclusive car rental station.

The platform was launched in collaboration with Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), One Central and ibis One Central at Gitex Global, with the aim to provide exclusive mobility to its users in the area.

Udrive Stations has launched in DWTC and will have two stations in the area — one near the World Trade Centre Residence and another near the business hub One Central, offering access to residents, visitors and employees in the area.

The stations are geofences that have been incorporated into Udrive’s proprietary technology infrastructure and are only accessible to users of select communities.

Cars hired can be picked up from any of the Udrive stations and dropped back at any of the corresponding stations. Users can also avail of customised messaging and pricing models and preferred vehicle options. The stations will make the car rental market more accessible and convenient for residents and tourists looking for a seamless solution.

Ahmed Jama, director – Traffic and Transport Management at DWTC, said: “As a trade and residential hub situated in the heart of the city, there are thousands of professionals, residents, business and leisure tourists visiting the DWTC area every day. Home to some of the country’s most prestigious exhibitions and events and high footfall throughout the year, this partnership with Udrive will contribute to streamlining mobility while supporting our efforts to provide innovative solutions to ensure a seamless driving experience for everyone in the DWTC area.”

Nicholas Watson, co-founder and CEO of Udrive said, “With Udrive Stations, we are catering to a market that hasn’t been served before with an original and innovative product. To date, Udrive records around 800 trips weekly in the DWTC area. With our initial launch here, we are investing in the UAE’s development with forward-thinking solutions that deliver great experiences and mobility for our communities.”

The product has been in development for almost three years, with two of those dedicated solely to research into the movement of people around the city, pain points faced by commuters and visitors and the preferred mode of transport for the population.

“On average a Udrive car is used by five people in a day. With the introduction of this product, we are effectively removing five private cars off the roads per Udrive car in our fleet. We envision this as the inception of many such stations throughout Dubai and the UAE that encourage the development of a smart, connected ‘City of the Future’, empowering convenient mobility and making the sharing experience increasingly simple and more reliable,” added Watson.

In other news, Udrive announced its expansion into Saudi Arabia in August. The new operations will meet the increasing demand from residents, tourists, students, and startups in the kingdom.

Read: Car rental platform Udrive expands to Saudi Arabia