In today’s economy, every penny counts. Believe it or not, the concept of giving ‘treats’ to friends is slowly fading away. Splitting bills, be it food, entertainment or even commuting, has become an increasingly popular way to save money. With inflation on the rise, and salaries more or less stagnant, the rising cost of living in Pakistan has made it challenging for people to manage their daily expenses, including transportation costs.
In light of this, Careem has introduced a feature called “easy split”, that enables customers to share their total ride costs amongst multiple people. This feature not only makes it easier for Careem customers to share their commuting expenses, but also makes it pocket-friendly to share the expenses that one faces for their everyday travel, which is particularly meaningful in light of the inflation that Pakistan is experiencing.
How to split your bill for a Careem ride:
The ‘easy split’ feature is beneficial for larger groups of people (up to 4), such as colleagues going to and back from work every day or friends going out to socialize. The simplicity of the process makes it an ideal way to share commuting costs, avoiding the hassle to physically give or receive cash. Oh and of course the awkwardness to avoid asking for money.
Step 1: Click the ‘Careem Pay’ button on the top left of the home screen
By simply tapping the ‘Careem Pay’ button on the home page, customers will land on the mobile wallet offered by Careem where they can get visibility on their past rides and their respective payments along with a bunch of different features like sending or receiving Careem credit.
Step 2: Click the ‘Easy split” option
When you click on the ‘Easy split’ option, you will be directed to another page where you get the button for ‘Split new expense’ and the history of your transactions. By clicking on the ‘easy split’ button, you put the price you want the other person to pay you along with a little description (we assume it will jog their memory since people can be forgetful when it comes to money) and choose your friends (they should all be registered Careem customers) from your contact list shown. You can select as many people as you want for this and select exactly how much you want each person to pay. This will send a request to all the people selected.
Step 3: Enjoy the recovery! 😉
The whole process was as simple as the first two steps. The third step is simply to wait for people to send the money by approving your request. This not only saves time but also avoids the potential awkwardness of initiating the conversation to ask someone to pay their share. In a survey to a selected sample size of customers, it was evident that this feature has been well-received by Careem users across Pakistan, with many appreciating the ease and convenience it provides. The best comment was, ‘finally we can make the muftey friends pay now!”
Splitting costs of expenses manually is not a new concept amongst friends. However, the importance of this feature has become more pronounced in the current economic climate since with inflation on the rise, many Pakistanis are struggling to keep up with the rising costs of daily living. Initiatives like bill splitting can help alleviate some of the financial burden on individuals and make daily transportation more affordable.
Moreover, Pakistan is a country where many people depend on public transportation, which can be crowded and uncomfortable. In such situations, ride-hailing services like Careem provide a comfortable and affordable alternative. By introducing the ‘easy split’ feature, Careem is truly living its purpose of simplifying and improving the lives of people in the region.
In conclusion, we give a thumbs up to the new ‘easy split’ feature by Careem, especially since it avoids the whole confrontation of asking someone for money and lets technology do your dirty work.
