In an email message to users on Friday, popular ride-hailing service Careem said it has made changes to the way it receives payments from customers.
“From 25th January onward, you can only pay your full fare, or more,” said the message.
Previously, Careem captains were able to ‘add’ the unpaid amount into their customers’ wallets as an accrual. So, if customer A had to pay Rs400 and could only pay Rs380. The captain would then add the Rs20 to the customer’s wallet as a payable amount on his or her next ride.
The message further stated, “This means your account cannot have an unpaid balance anymore. So, make sure to carry the necessary amount with you when you book a ride.”
Careem, in an effort to explain why it was making these changes further said, “When your fare is not paid in full, it directly affects your Captain’s earning.”
It concluded by giving possible options for customers when/if they were short in cash and said, “In the event where you don’t have the exact change:
– Your Captain can deposit the extra amount (up to Rs. 400) in your Careem wallet
– Your Captain can take you to the nearest ATM for cash
– You can enter your card details into the Careem app and go cashless”.
