Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Middle East ride-hailing app charting a successful course through coronavirus crisis

Middle East ride-hailing app charting a successful course through coronavirus crisis

Jeeny has reimagined its business model as a result of the global pandemic, preserving staff and keeping safety paramount
The co-CEO of Middle East ride-hailing app Jeeny is hoping its journey through the current coronavirus can act as inspiration for others.

The company, a joint venture between the Middle East Internet Group (MEIG), Rocket Internet and IMENA, was forced to completely reinvent its model, which helped it retain its workforce and execute its last-mile delivery operations, while taking the best possible health and safety measures.

Eugen Brikcius told Arabian Business: “Our ride hailing business dropped by 100 percent in full lockdowns that were implemented in Saudi Arabia and Jordan.”

This is when the company sought to reimagine its business model by re-designing its app and established large scale delivery partnerships with companies which required emergency last-mile deliveries until curfews were lifted.

“We worked closely with the Saudi government in providing a fleet of drivers who were well-equipped with top health and safety training and hygiene kits,” said Brikcius.

“For us, as a business that mainly revolves around transportation, our new normal was applying extreme safety and sanitation measures to our drivers and their cars.

“As a start, we partnered with Helpling, a Dubai-based on-demand cleaning services venture to provide ongoing professional sanitation for drivers who visit our service offices in the main cities.

We also imported plastic films as in-cab isolators and installed them in our most active drivers’ cars, in addition to redesigning our driver service offices with safety equipment to keep both our agents and drivers safe via proper social distancing,” he added.

Despite the economic challenges brought on by the pandemic, Brikcius retains one of the company’s primary objectives - to remain affordable for its customers.

He explained: “Our main competitive value in Saudi Arabia and Jordan used to be affordability. We always aim to provide the most affordable ride-booking experience via our app.

We now plan to grow vertically stronger than ever, by being the safest choice to move around within the market, while still holding our position as the economical app.”

Jeeny has offices in Riyadh, Jeddah, Madinah, Dammam, Khobar, Amman, Lahore, and Karachi, while Brikcius added that they are currently evaluating expansion opportunities and watching developments in other markets.

“We believe there is a great opportunity for us to enter other GCC and ME region small and big markets, keeping our value proposition which is offering the economic transportation solution,” he said.

Throughout the pandemic, the public dealt with a great deal of pressure due to economic troubles and unemployment. Jeeny dealt with this pandemic by creating a secure environment for its workforce.

The organisation’s success in striving to overcome this pandemic and taking the necessary health and safety measures could inspire other start-ups and tech companies in implementing “disrupt and pivot” and preserving their core assets, the employees, as a method to overcome force majeure, not only as growth tools.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Iranian Director Jafar Panahi Wins Palme d'Or at Cannes
Israeli Airstrike Kills Nine Children of Gaza Doctor
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki Erupts Again, Spewing Ash Cloud over Flores Island
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
Senate Democrats Move to Censure Trump Over Qatar Jet Gift
Hamas Releases Last Living US Hostage from Gaza Amid Ongoing Conflict
×